Hurricane Magic
by Oberon
Summary: A conspiracy has been revealed that threatens to turn mere ninja into monsters.  Their temptation, irresistible.  What if Jiraiya was not the first to recognize Naruto?  Before the Land of Waves, there was only Magic.
1. Prologue

**The condensed version is that Naruto learns a few Slayers verse spells and now everyone thinks he's a genius hiding as an idiot. Of course, you can imagine Sasuke's response to that. If you read Tellemicus Sundance's Legacy of the Resengan then this is just the opposite. Legacy had everyone thinking Naruto is an idiot while he's an genius. This has everything thinking he's a genius while he's actually Naruto.**

**Also, you wouldn't need to know anything about Slayers to enjoy this story. All the relevant background information will be revealed through dialogue. **

**Standard disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Slayers. All characters are the property of the original author. All use of said character and similar situation falls under the fan fiction category and is unintended for profit.**

**I'm looking for a beta for this story so if you're interested, please drop me a line at **

**You can also make corrections to rougher versions which I will post at the Rokudaime forums ****http://z7 DOT invisionfree DOT com/Rokudaime/ and please review**

Naruto Uzumaki saw the only man that noticed him bleed from an injury meant for someone else. 'Why, Iruka-sensei, why did you save me?' The hyperactive dropout saw the life wane from Iruka. The man gave Naruto a weak smile, with great effort he pushed himself to stand using the tree he leaned on as support.

"Close your eyes, Naruto." Iruka told him gently, a smile on Chunin's face marred by pain.

A moment later Iruka told Naruto he cold open his eyes. "Congratulation, Naruto. You passed…'

- - - - - - - - - - -

Hurricane Magic

By Oberon

Prologue

- - - - - - - - - - -

Naruto put another X on his busty bikini-clad centerfold calendar. Just two more weeks until October 15, just two more weeks until he official graduate into life as a ninja. The hyperactive blond couldn't wait. Naruto instinctively reached for the Leaf headband on the dresser but stopped himself.

"I'll wait until it's official," the hand that hovered over the Leaf headband traveled to the familiar set of green goggles.

Naruto's face turned into a foxy grin. Today he would pull one last prank, his greatest, one they would surely record into Leaf Village history. Technically, he wasn't a ninja yet, so pranks were still ok, Naruto rationalized. "Bwuahahahaha, they'll remember this one for sure."

First off, he'll need to collect firewood from the forest. Why? It would be a distraction for the foxhunters when he set fires around village. That'll keep his pursuers so distracted they wouldn't know to look before Naruto had his face on the Hokage monument.

Naruto locked his apartment behind him, just as a precaution. He didn't own anything of value but it got bothersome to find the few he did own trashed and his apartment turned upside down. He caught the adults with dirty look in their eyes when they thought Naruto wasn't looking. Sometimes they would even do it when Naruto looked right at them. He didn't blame them; instead he tried to ignore the looks as best he could. It wasn't fair and the thought of their hatred of him only stroked his desire to become Hokage.

Naruto walked passed an old woman that reacted to him immediately. She acted like a nice old lady at first but her expression turned to hatred and her hands shivered, clasping the broom she held tightly before she raised it over her head. Naruto made a run outside the reach of her broom just in time to avoid the swipe and gave the hag his widest grin.

The blond thought he got away but then came a splash to his face from a mother of two living in the house next to the old lady. He was drenched and the lady next door had shut the window and spared Naruto a glimpse before the blinds drew together from the inside.

"Hey, watch it!" Naruto yelled to the lady just as a metal pot used his head for a landing site. "What the…" Naruto looked up just when a red-hot kettle came down from the second story window. Thankfully, Naruto got out of the way and only heard the kettle bounce off the curb. The explosion of boiling hot water missed him completely.

Just when it looked safe for Naruto, a trap net sprang from nowhere and pinned the blond to the concrete. Several Leaf Village Chunins jumped Naruto from their hiding place.

"Wha… what do you bastards want?" Naruto yelled at the Chunins, loudly and with a feral growl. He knew these bastards well. They spend a lot of quality time together every time Naruto pulls one of his masterpieces of art.

The lead Chunin smirked as he stood over Naruto. "Well, you see brat, after hearing that you failed the exam yesterday we figured you'll try to pull one of your pranks again. So instead of spending the whole day chasing you around the Leaf Village, we decided to strike first." The Chunin only got happier when Naruto futilely wrestled with the net.

Naruto can still use his arms. He hasn't lost yet, not by a long shot. "Oh yeah!" The blond pre-Genin challenged the Chunins with a sudden flurry of motion and maneuvered his arms into position. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

"What the…" The lead Chunin reflexively stepped back when Naruto exploded in ninja smoke.

All Naruto needed was that ninja's moment of hesitation. When the smoke cleared, three identical copies of Naruto held up the real hyperactive blond ninja over their cloned heads. Naruto's captors looked around, confused by the multiple Narutos who had the real one, still warped in the net, hoisted over their heads and halfway down the street.

"Get him!" The lead Chunin commanded.

"Bwuahahahaahha!" The real Naruto laughed maniacally then formed the seal to summon more clones. Eight more clones of Naruto appeared in another puff of ninja smoke – two pairs of three, each trio holding a fourth trapped clone over their heads. The three groups of Naruto split up in different directions. One group went down an alleyway. The second group barreling down the main street while the real Naruto's group cross the road almost trampling a pair of civilians in the middle.

Wordlessly, the four Chunins that attacked Naruto split into three groups with one pair of Chunins after the clones down Main Street. The lead Chunin somehow trailed the real Naruto into the side roads.

"I'm going to get you, BRAT!" The angry Chunin jumped with the force of Chakra enhanced strength pumped through his legs. The Chunin flipped in midair and landed on the rooftop in front of Naruto. He breathed heavily while his efforts barely winded Naruto in the chase. '_Damn, the brat has stamina_' he muttered under his breath. '_And he used a Jonin level jutsu so many times without tiring._'

Naruto kept running only once again summoned his clones. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" The smoke cleared and now four more clones ran along the original.

"Ah, man, not again." The Chunin sighed when the two groups of Naruto once again took off in different directions. "That's it, I give up." The lead Chunin sighed once more, this time in defeat. "YOU BETTER NOT LET ME CATCH YOU PULLING ANOTHER PRANK!"

His only reply was the maniac laughter of the 9tail-brat from several blocks away.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Slowly, the buildings thinned out as Naruto left civilization behind him. The forest tree provided a few patches of shades, protection from the morning sun.

One arm perpendicular to the other, Naruto's fingers formed a cross, the hand seal required for this jutsu. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

In a puff of white smoke, five exact replicas of Naruto appeared beside the real hyperactive trickster. Mere shadows of the original, created by Chakra but nonetheless able to interact physically with the environment. They disappear with the slightest trauma, only one hit, but they're perfectly fine for what Naruto had in mind.

"Alright, team Naruto! You know what you got to do. Commence operation: Ultimate Prank!"

"Yeah!" All the clones shouted in unison. All the clones eagerly rushed into the forest with high spirits.

Naruto could barely contain himself. The best part, he'll do it right under the foxhunters' noise. Consumed by the thrill of anticipation, the real Naruto failed to notice a pair of legs sticking out from the bushes.

"Almost got enough," the blond wiped the sweat from just below his goggles, smirking and imagining the look on all the villager's faces as twigs and broken branches piling up in his arms. Then suddenly, in a most comedian manner, Naruto tripped on someone's legs. The firewood he collected flew from his grasp and Naruto found himself spawned indignantly on the ground with his nose pressed into the dirt. "EEEKK…"

The hyperactive blond shot up like a rocket, his blue eyes searched the forest for the offending object that tripped him. When the Naruto finally saw the person mostly hidden in the bushes, he automatically jumped to a conclusion.

Overtime, Naruto had seen many drunks passed out in the middle of the street. They were a common sight in the part of town where he lived. Every so often, the blond couldn't resist the opportunity to prank them, they were fair game after all and most of them deserved it. His victims had given Naruto the evil eye and when Naruto found them drunk, the unlucky victim usually woke up the next morning with their faces painted like a kabuki.

"Well… maybe just one more…" Naruto couldn't help himself. He thought the man was just another drunk that wandered into the forest before he fell over. Earlier, Naruto had promised himself this big prank was the last but just one more wouldn't hurt.

The blond in orange hastily parted the bushes and hoped it was Ichiro. That guy overcharged him for deodorant every time. Naruto's hands suddenly froze; the man in the bushes was not Ichiro.

"Hey, mister, are you ok?" The boy nudged the man gently only to find his own hands covered in blood. Naruto backed away, stumbled and fell on his ass. He trembled; the man had invoked the same feeling in the blond as last night when he thought Mizuki had killed Iruka-sensei. Shaking, the boy nearly turned around and ran in panic.

"No, wait…" a weak voice stopped Naruto before he could run.

"You're-you're not dead…"

"Water… I need water…" weakly, the man sat up revealing a bloody gash across his chest. Blood had soaked through most of his tunic and the cloak on his back while a hood hid his eyes and a high collar hid the bottom half of his face.

Naruto shot up like a rocket. "You can count on me!" He proclaimed loudly then took off to the nearest stream. He turned around moments later. "Believe it!" He ran off, never realized the man groaned when he shouted his trademark catchphrase. Naruto also didn't hear the man muttered something about "rather die if he spouted the hammer of justice."

Naruto returned with a canteen and found the man had dragged himself next to a tree, which kept himself upright. Naruto handed the stranger his canteen who gulped it down hurriedly only to choke and cough up most of the first sip. After several smaller sips, the man finally relaxed and breathed normally.

"Thanks, kid." The man's voice was neutral as if he masked his emotions. He gave Naruto back his canteen then placed one hand over the wound on his chest.

Naruto's eyes bulged at the sight of the man's hands. They were like rocks. To be more precise, the skin had rocks grew into patches but did not cover the dark blue surface of the skin completely.

The stranger ignored Naruto and focused his attention on the wound. "Healing power, following white…" A globe of light formed in the stranger's hand over the wound, mending and repairing the damage underneath.

To Naruto's astonishment, the man's weird skin closed around the gapping chest wound in just a few seconds. "Wow, that's so cool." The blond exclaimed. Curious, he tried to poke the skin where the wound used to be but had his hand slapped away.

"Do you mind?"

"Hey, hey, how did you do that?" Naruto crouched and pointed to the man's exposed stone skin under the rip in the tunic. "That's one cool jutsu."

"Yeah, I suppose you can call it that." He said casually while he still used the tree for support. He reached into his pocket and tossed several coins to Naruto. "If it's too much trouble, please use this money to get me some food from town."

Naruto caught the coins in his hands clumsily. "Wow," the coins were larger and heavier than the Yin, which minted its coins from copper or nickel. These were gold.

"Is there a problem?" The man asked Naruto with a controlled expression after he saw that Naruto's amazement.

Naruto nodded vigorously. "It's just that I don't know anyone that would take these."

"What about your parents?"

Naruto looked away. The boy's eyes radiated shame or perhaps just loneness. "I don't have any," he finally said with a solemn face. Briefly, his mind wondered back to the many times the adults had ignored him and the envy he felt for the children at their side.

Perhaps the man felt his loneness or saw it in Naruto's eyes. "Stop that," the man shouted harshly, almost angry with the boy. "Nothing is ever going to change if you just wallow in self-pity."

At the man's harsh words, Naruto suddenly brightened into a wide smile. "One day… one day I'll make them recognize me, for sure!"

The stranger couldn't help but let Naruto's enthusiasm infect him. Beneath that mask of coolness and cloth, he cracked a smile, just a little one. "Listen, do you know any place in town that sells jewelry?"

Naruto scratched his head. "Well, there is that place all the girls go and spend hours looking through the store window like they're seeing Sasuke-bastard or something… but the owners don't like me very much."

"Forget it…," the man mumbled. "…Look, can you just get me some food?"

"Well, if it's just food you want, why didn't you just say so? I'll bring you so ramen."

"Ramen?"

Naruto beamed and got all excited. "Yup, ramen, the best food in the world."

The stranger groaned. "Just don't let Lina hear you say that." He muttered under his mask.

"Wha-what did you say?"

"Nothing," said quickly so Naruto missed the part where he insulted his favorite food. "Ramen is fine, please just hurry."

The blond suddenly shot up as if on crack. "By the way my name is Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of the Leaf Village!" His depression all but disappeared as he declared himself. "Believe it!"

"My name is Zelgadis Greywords, pleased to meet you Naruto."

A bright smile found its way to Naruto's face as he ran back into town.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The next day, Naruto returned to the spot in the forest where he first found the injured stranger. Zelgadis had liked the instant ramen Naruto brought him yesterday. The man gulped it down almost as fast Naruto on his most famished days. This morning, Naruto brought him more ramen, this time from Ichiroku's with a coupon. The blond just hoped Zelgadis liked fried eggs. Of course, the soon-to-be ninja would gladly eat a second breakfast if Zelgadis didn't want it.

"Hey, Mr. Zelgadis," the boy shouted so loudly the birds flew off from their perches. "What are you doing up there?" He found the man with the strange skin not far where they first met, sitting on a tree branch staring up at the sky with his face in deep contemplation. "I brought you ramen. Get it while it's hot."

Zelgadis slapped his head as he suddenly felt a headache creep up on him.

Naruto held up the wooden takeout box with Ichiroku's mark. "I hope you like fried eggs."

For a while, Naruto watched silently as the man ate the ramen.

"You know Naruto. You don't have to keep bringing me ramen anymore. I'm strong enough to find my own food now." Zelgadis sipped the last drops of soup from the large bow then placed it back into the takeout box. Instantly, he regretted his words as he felt the waves of depression radiate from the boy a few feet away.

Naruto played with his fingers awkwardly, jabbing two index fingers together in nervous tension. "I like hanging around with you… you listen to me. No one else sees me for me."

"Don't you have any friends Naruto?"

Naruto looked off into the distance. "For the longest time I wondered why everyone hated me. Why they looked at me with such cold eyes. I was always alone. All those people, happy people with their mothers… fathers… friends…all around me, yet I was alone in a crowd." Naruto couldn't help it, tears rolled down his eyes as he talked. "Then, two days ago. I learned the truth."

Naruto wiped the snot from his noise and continued. "Thirteen years ago, our village was attack by a nine-tailed demon fox. Many shinobi died; mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends… in the end, the Fourth Hokage, the person I worshipped as a hero, defeated the demon fox. All my life we were told the Fourth killed the demon but my hero only managed to seal it… into me. When the villagers look at me, they don't see Naruto Uzumaki, they see the monster that took away their precious person. Yet, it was my destiny to bear the burden of protecting them." Naruto shivered as he talked, his arms wrapped around his shoulders. "I didn't want this! I didn't ask for this responsibility!"

For a long moment, the two sat in silence then finally Zelgadis pulled his hood down, revealing his face at last. His face was just like other part of his body, a monstrosity of stone and sandpaper except for a pair of deeply thoughtful eyes.

"This is the reason I didn't go into the village. When people see me, all they see is a monster. You see, the two of us are not that different."

"How-how, do you live with it? How can you stand being alone all the time?"

Zelgadis remembered his precious friends and let their laughter prevail over the dark mood. "I was alone at first. Then I met my friends and suddenly the loneness just disappeared. Since then, we traveled the world together, fighting side by side." '_Lina, Gourry, and Amelia…_' Zelgadis regarded the young shinobi with one of his rare smiles. "You'll find like-minded people too, someday. You don't need the whole world to accept you, as long as there's one person out there that understands you then you aren't alone."

"Just one person…" Naruto repeated Zelgadis' words. '_Did Iruka count?_' He thought silently. Indeed, he never felt the sting of loneness when he talked to Iruka. '_Is that enough? What about my dream?_'

Naruto grinned and gave Zelgadis the thumbs up. "I have Iruka-sensei and now I have you, Mr. Zelgadis. But I wouldn't give up my dream. I will become Hokage someday and make everyone understand me. Believe it!"

Zelgadis only shock his head in amazement. Naruto completely missed the point. The stone-skinned man felt another headache on its way.

"Look Naruto, what do you have to do to become this Hokage of yours?" This Hokage business sounds like a job for suckers. If he can't talk Naruto out of it, the least he can do is help the boy realize his dream.

"The Hokage is the strongest man in the village and he protects everyone there," Naruto stopped and looked confused. "Well, I don't know how you become Hokage exactly… but I bet it involves me kicking Sasuke-bastard's ass at some point."

'_I was right. This job really is for the birds._' Zelgadis didn't let Naruto know what he thought of his dream. "Well, Naruto, I don't know if there is anything I can do for you but if you want to get stronger. That is something I can help you with."

The blond ninja beamed and grinned from ear to ear. "Really?" He asked excitedly unable to keep still and jumped straight from a crutch position.

"You see that pile of twigs over there?" Zelgadis pointed to the pile Naruto had gathered yesterday but forgot about after the two met.

"Yeah, yeah?" Naruto replied anxiously.

"Source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson," as Zelgadis began the chant, wisps of fire appeared and streaked toward the palm of the man's hand. "Let thy power gather in my hand." The wisps of ember formed into a ball no bigger than a chicken egg just above the surface of the palm.

"Fireball" Zelgadis threw the ball at the twigs and watched it explode on impact. The wood caught on fire immediately but the initial force scattered some. They burned with brilliant amber, raining down during the afternoon sun.

Naruto said nothing for a second. "Well, it's neat and all… but it's kinda lame don't you think?"

Zelgadis glared at the blond. "Well excuse me for not wanting to blow up a section of the forest and calling attention from everyone in the village."

"Oh you mean you can make it stronger?"

"Idiot…" the stone man muttered. "You can take out an entire city block with that spell."

"Alright!" Naruto jumped again, higher than before. Clearly, he missed the part about this being a spell. "I'll kick Sasuke's ass for sure!"

"Well, I suppose we should start with some theories first."

- - - - - - - - - - -

**Later**

"…There are three parts to every spell. The Chaos words, the incantation and the name of the spell. You don't need all three once you have mastered a particular spell but it will always be more powerful if you used all three." Zelgadis lectured on while Naruto nodded after every sentence. "You understand, Naruto?"

"Eh…" Naruto's expression turned from understanding to clueless, like a flip of a switch. "No. Not really."

Zelgadis racked his brain for any other way to explain this. He clearly remembered how easily it he learned it the first time so many years ago. Maybe his explanation was bad. "Ok, I'll explain it this way. Every word that you know has a meaning behind it. The incantations are no different. To cast a spell, you need to know the meaning behind the words. We call that meaning, Chaos words. The last step is to call out the name of the spell. Do you get it now?"

"Nope, can't say that I do." Naruto still looked confused, enlisting another groan from Zelgadis.

"What did I get myself into…"

- - - - - - - - - - -

**Much later, like 3 days later**

Naruto focused all his attention on the words and the meaning behind them. He scowled as beads of sweat rolled down his bangs. The words finally came to him, not clear, muddled but he knew them. Something was different this time. The blond knew this was it.

"Light of life, brighter than flame, Let thy power gather in my hand." This was going to work.

"Lighting!"

A pale blue light appeared in his hand, a perfect globe that mirrored the color of the sky. In the morning October sun though, the sphere barely caught Zelgadis' eye.

"Look, Zelgadis-sensei, I did it!" The globe flickered, gone in an instant as Naruto's excitement accidentally stopped the flow of magic. "Well, I had it."

Zelgadis, who kept an eye on his progress from his place high on the treetop, only muttered one word. "Finally"

"Alright Naruto, now that you can do the Lighting spell, we can start working on the real thing." Clearly, Zelgadis didn't look forward to this part.

But Naruto was all excitement. The blond held up his fist to the sky. "Bring it! I learned Lighting in three days. I'll get this next part down in no time."

The stone man bopped the blond on his blond head with a solid fist. "You idiot!" He shouted over the blond's head. "Most beginning sorcerers can do that spell by the end of their first day."

- - - - - - - - - - -

**Another three days later**

Bit more than a week until Naruto official became a Genin and the Leaf Village was in the most peaceful state it had been for the last four years. Everyday, the blond hyperactive ninja headed into the forest early in the morning and reappear late at night. The morning of October11th was no different.

"Source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson, let thy power gather in my hand. FIREBALL!" Nothing, but Naruto at least remembered all the words this time.

"Try again," Zelgadis slashed his sword across the sky. A second later, the single log he tossed up came down as four separate pieces of lumber cut along the length of the log. The stone man sheathed his sword before he lost to temptation. It would be so easy to ram his sword into the blond's stomach. Now he knew how Lina must have felt around Gourry.

Naruto started the chant at Zelgadis' request. "Source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson," This time a thin trail of ember sparks spiraled into existence. "…Let thy power gather in my hand." The embers coalesced into a ball and Naruto soured with excitement. '_Yes! I'm doing it!_'

"FIREBALL!" The spell whiffed and burnout just as Naruto pulled back his arm to throw the ball.

Naruto tore at his blond spikes in frustration. "ARRG, I'm never going to get this." He jumped up and down, stomped his feet and got ready for another try even though ferocious anger clouded his mind. "How about some tips, Zelgadis-sensei?"

"You already know everything you need to cast this spell but here's a tip. USE YOUR HEAD, MORON."

- - - - - - - - - - -

**Yet two more days gone by**

"FIREBALL!" Finally, Naruto's efforts paid off as a speck of ember burned across the path from Naruto's outstretched hand only to whiff out before contact with the target: a sun-baked rock in the middle of the forest.

Behind the blond, Zelgadis clapped his hand. "Well, that was lame." The same words Naruto used to describe the first time Zelgadis showed this spell.

It took Naruto a second to register what he had done. "Hey, I did it. I did it!" He shouted the second time rather loudly.

Already the end of their ninth day together and the night grew dark and cold while the animals went out to roam.

"Good job, Naruto. I think that's enough for today."

The blond gave his sensei the thumbs up and a wide smile. "I'm not tired. I can still practice a little longer."

"Good for you but you're scaring away my dinner."

Naruto sniffed around and indeed the forest creatures were nowhere near. "Hey, Zelgadis-sensei, why don't you come into town with me? You can buy me ramen." He grinned at the man with the hope of a free meal.

Zelgadis went to check on one of the traps he set nearby not knowing Naruto had already sniffed the area around them and found nothing. "I'm sorry Naruto. Have you forgotten what I look like? I can't go into the village with my face. They'll chase me out with pitchforks." That wasn't an exaggeration, it had actually happened to Zelgadis in the past.

"Zelgadis-sensei, you never told me how you got to look like that." Naruto sat down next to the man, the roaring fire of their campsite reflected off his hair combined with his whisker marks, the effects made him truly appeared as a demon fox.

Zelgadis glared at the boy but his eyes softened.

"When I was younger, a boy about your age, even then we were very much alike. Like you, I wanted to get stronger to prove myself." Zelgadis still remember the boy in the woods, swinging his sword. "Power, that was all I wanted and one day the greatest sage of our time walked into my life. He was Rezzo, the Red Priest, my grandfather and a man known for performing great miracles of healing. I asked him to give me power, to make me strong…"

"And, and?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"Oh, he gave me power alright. And this accursed form; part human, part golem and part demon," with one rap of Rezzo's staff, Zelgadis' life changed forever. "…A chimera… but that was not all. He made me serve him and his reckless plan which almost destroyed the world."

"Destroy the world?" The thought scared the teen even though he couldn't wrap his mind around the concept of 'the world'. To Naruto, the Leaf Village was everything. There were other lands and other counties but they always seemed so far away.

"Don't worry about it. Rezzo's dead now."

It took Naruto a moment to digest what Zelgadis had said. "So, you have a demon in you too. Just like me." Silently, his hands went to his belly where the seal of the Fourth jailed the 9tailed demon fox.

"You see, Naruto. No matter how dumb you think you are, you can never be as stupid as I was back then. I asked for this and regretted it ever since."

- - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Naruto arrived at Zelgadis' camp as usual.

"Zel-" the blond called his sensei but suddenly a shadow from the bushes placed a hand on his mouth and pulled him in. Naruto panicked and bit down on the hand that grabbed him only to regret it instantly. It was like biting on rocks. '_Rocks? Zelgadis-sensei?_'

"Quiet, Naruto." Zelgadis' familiar voice whispered into Naruto's ear. "Someone is out there."

Naruto also opened his mouth to tell the chimera it was the villagers when several Ninjas appeared from the shadows.

"Sir, we couldn't find him," said one of the ninja.

"He must be nearby," the head ninja pointed to their campsite. "The tinder is still warm."

"What do we do once we find him?" A third ninja, a kunoichi with dark hair matted down and her bangs trapped by her headband, asked the second ninja. "The guy took down three of our best squads in a matter of minutes plus he has our forbidden technique."

The first ninja just smirked. "Now, now, there's no need to keep up that charade since we're so far from the Hidden Cloud Village. We know our village has no such forbidden technique as the one he used."

The lead ninja glared at the speaker. "Quiet, Pensuke. If the Raikage decided that jutsu belongs to us then it is not our place to question his judgment."

Naruto couldn't keep quiet anymore and popped out from behind their hiding place. "You guys are just a bunch of thieves!" He shouted at the top of his lungs while his finger pointed at them accusingly.

Meanwhile, Zelgadis rolled his eyes.

The lead kumonin found a goggle on Naruto's head instead of a headband. "It's just a brat. Get rid of him. We can't let the Leaf know we're so deep in their territory."

The kunoichi just placed a hand on their leader's shoulder. "Roketto, I'll handle this." She gave Naruto a smile, a seductive smile with all her charm as a trained kunoichi. "Hey kid, we're not going to hurt you. We just want to know if you have seen any strange person nearby."

"Even if I know something, I'm not going to tell you." Naruto bravely declared. His emotions boiling over the surface as he remembered the many times the villagers accused him of thievery. No way would he let Zelgadis-sensei's name dirtied by these guys.

"Take him," Roketto commanded. "He knows something."

Naruto growled at them defiantly. "Take this! Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" The blond created an army of clones around them, on the ground and on the trees. He surrounded the kumonin with an army of orange clad hyperactive ninja.

"Defensive positions," the lead kumonin ordered just as the Naruto army came at them. The three kumonins stood back to back, their faces toward the incoming orange storm.

The clones on the ground went for a straight charge at the enemy shinobi just as the ones of treetops dove headfirst with their fists raised. Their collective battle cry rang loud enough the villagers in the Leaf Village heard them. The group from above reached their targets first while the group on the ground still had 4-7 seconds to get within melee range.

The kumonin responded as one, their blocks and counterattacks decimated the first wave of aerial attackers in less than 4 seconds. One of the last clones in the air caught the kunoichi off balance but she twisted around for an overextended kick to the clone's midsection. However, Naruto unbalanced her and blinded her with the puff of smoke so close to her face. The last clone flew through the smoke his fist just inches from a massive hit to the Kunochi when, out of nowhere, Pensuke grabbed the clone's hand just before the hit connected.

Pensuke redirected the clone's flight path with a grunt and tossed the clone to the nearest ground target. Both clones fell back and disappeared in a ninja smoke. By this time, the kunoichi had recovered just as several clones tried to pile dive Pensuke's back after he threw the last clone. The kunoichi chopped the neck of a clone as it went by then quickly redirected her next blow to the head of the next clone headed straight at her.

Meanwhile, Roketto had several clones gang up on him at once. The first clone went for a straight jump kick to his head but the leader blocked with a forearm only to move quickly and avoid the next clone that attacked his midsection with a shoulder tackle. "You're dead brat!" He yelled just as he dispatched the entire group that had attacked him from various direction with a whirlwind of slashes and hacks.

All the clones had their asses kicked in less than thirty seconds while the real Naruto took a solid hit to the jaw. The punch had enough force to send the blond to the other side of the area.

The kunoichi took a step toward Naruto with her kunai raised but the leaders stopped her. "No, he's mine" he told her.

Zelgadis saw everything but he couldn't interfere until now. Naruto got in the way.

"You'll have to deal with me now," the chimera said softly as he unsheathed his sword. Before the kumonins could turn around and face him, Zelgadis called out his first spell.

"Bogardic Elm!" With that, the ground beneath the kumonins softened into a semi-liquid that sunk the three ninjas into the ground-turned-swamp.

The three reacted quickly and jumped away before the ground swallowed them. But Zelgadis had anticipated their action and leaped at the kunoichi just as her feet left the ground. The chimera brought his sword for a slash that left the kunoichi with just enough time to pull a kunai from her holster. The kunoichi managed to block Zelgadis' powerful slash with her kunai but the force of the impact send her tumbling out of control and into the trees. She hit the tree still twisting from the force of the blow. With a loud crack, she came to a sudden stop.

"One down," Zelgadis counted just as the other two ninja finished their hand seals.

Pensuke flashed through the hand seals just as Zelgadis landed from his attack on the kunoichi. In his hand was three shuriken charged with lightning chakra. The kumonin threw all three shuriken at once then immediately repositioned himself so he wouldn't be a target of a counterattack.

Calling on the power of wind, Zelgadis used the Wind Brid to scatter the incoming shuriken. The waves of compressed air knocked the three throwing stars from midair into random directions but one got really near its owner.

Pensuke evaded his own electric shuriken just as his cell leader jumped their target with the full body shock armor active. This technique could stun anyone that touched the leader's body.

Zelgadis ducked under the first punch from the leader with a narrow margin. Already he had a spell ready to knock the ninja back. The chimera saw the second attack coming from the ninja's legs, coming in for a sweep or knee to the kidney.

"Air Valm!" Zelgadis released his spell in time with the leader's move. The sudden wall of high-pressurized air that appeared between them had enough force to knock Roketto back just as his electrified knee came within inches of connecting.

Pensuke attacked again, this time from Zelgadis' right. The ninja charged up two hands full of Shuriken. "Got you," before Pensuke could throw them, Zelgadis swung his sword at him even though there were several feet of distance between them.

As he swung his sword, the chimera knew he had to disrupt the ninja's aim. He was too close and Zelgadis knew he couldn't avoid the shuriken and dodge the other ninja's physical attacks.

"Blade Haut!" Zelgadis swing so fast the ground literally shock beneath his blade as it came down. The sudden earthquake messed up Pensuke's aim just as the shurikens left his hand. They missed Zelgadis but one found the path to the ninja leader who took a step back to avoid the throwing star.

Zelgadis took the opportunity and leaped back, putting some distance between him and the leader.

Before he got his feet on the ground, the leader had a kunai out in mid-flight toward Zelgadis' position. This was just a normal kunai, used as a tactic that would have forced the chimera into a defensive stance rather actually hurt him. The chimera smirk and let the kunai hit him square on the chest. The throwing weapon bounced off his skin with a clank, doing no damage to the part golem chimera with skin as hard as diamond.

The leader had already charged Zelgadis with a chakra-enhanced sprint before he even saw the kunai hit, he had expected Zelgadis to block it but then his momentum made sudden stops impossible. He saw Zelgadis swung his sword across the ground, confused because he knew Zelgadis wouldn't dare hit his electric armor body. The sword dug a deep trench, kicking dirt and gravel into the leader's eyes. Blinding him for the second, it took Zelgadis that long to ready another spell but the leader had instinctively dove aside to avoid what he thought was a point-blank attack.

The kumonin leader had accidentally jumped toward Pensuke. Zelgadis grinned wickedly when he saw the mistake. He had enough of this and now they clustered themselves, he'll finish both off with one spell. The chimera's eyes locked on the patch of forest soil beneath the two kumonins.

"This is it! Mega Brand!" The earth beneath the ninja exploded upwards. The power of earth suddenly turned against the two ninja, sending them into the sky with a torrent of jagged piercing rocks and crushing stones.

"Team Roketto blasting off again…" their screams disappeared into the distance.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

The first thing Naruto heard when he woke up with the maniac laughter of the Kunochi that smacked him around. His jaw still hurt for god's sake. Naruto thought that girl must be as strong as Sakura when she thought the blond acted out.

"Fu Fu Fu Fu, I have you trapped in my electric spider web jutsu, Mr. Rockman." Indeed, the kunoichi surrounded the chimera in an intricate web of chakra strings anchored to the forest floor by a number of kunai while she held the other end. She chuckled and let her long legs dangled from the tree branch that she sat on comfortably while the boys got their asses kicked.

"We'll see about that," Zelgadis tried to cut the strings with his sword but immediately a jolt of electricity shocked his system. He almost dropped his sword from the pain.

"Don't move a muscle, else I'll electrocute you before you can blink." The kunoichi was deadly serious and just to prove it she gave Zelgadis a mild shock from one of the wires.

Zelgadis glared at the kunoichi venomously but all the while, his calm mind worked over how to escape the trap. Zelgadis knew he couldn't aim any spells properly trapped like this. '_I'll just have to use a spell big enough to get her from here._'

Naruto stood up while he let loose a deep animalistic growl. "Get away from him."

The kunoichi's attention turned to Naruto. "Oh, it's the munchkin again. Go away. This is between us grown-ups."

'_That's it, while she's distracted._' Zelgadis prepared the spell just as Naruto charged the kunoichi. "No, don't get in the way!"

Naruto ran straight for the tree the kunoichi sat on. "Get away from him. NOW!" He yelled as he jumped to meet the kunoichi on the branch. The blond raised his fist, pulled back and put everything he had into one swing aimed for the kunoichi's face.

While the kumokunoichi held the chakra strings on one hand, her other hand was free to smack Naruto across the jaw. She smiled with satisfaction as the blond once again skit across the ground.

The pre-Genin pulled himself up with all his willpower. He bled from one corner of his mouth, covered in dirt and many cuts on his face while blood mingled with gravel. '_I can't get to her and I'm out of Chakra. That just leaves that one other jutsu to try._' The boy closed his eyes, cleared his thoughts and allowed the anger to leave him. "Source of all power," the chant began slowly at first, quietly mumbled by the blond. "…Light which burns beyond crimson," Naruto's eyes snapped open, locking unblinkingly with the kunoichi's eyes. '_Focus, Naruto. Focus. You can do this._' He told himself all the while envisioning the chaos words, which actually came to him clearly for once. The air around his hand burst into streaks of amber flame. "...Let thy power gather in my hand." During the incantation, Naruto's voice grew louder and stronger to reflect his confidence. The fire spiraled into his palm, forming a ball of maelstrom. The boy reeled back the hand with the fireball as sweat rolled off him from the intense heat and his own effort took a toll on him.

"FIREBALL!"

The kumokunoichi watched helpless as what seemed like a powerful fire-jutsu. She was powerless to stop the jutsu for she had used all her throwing weapons to pin Zelgadis. The speed of the jutsu was incredible. "So fast..."

When the smoke cleared, only rubble remained around the site of the explosion. Naruto stood alone, his head held high in triumph. Only to have his high spirit crushed a moment later when Zelgadis bopped him on the head with a vicious punch.

"Idiot, what part of 'Don't get in the way' did you not understand?" The chimera glared at the boy. He had holes on his cloak thanks to that.

The blond only grinned like a fool. "Look, Zelgadis-sensei, I did it."

To be continued...

Please remember to review.


	2. Chapter 1

The Third Hokage said nothing while he silently studied Naruto's official registration picture. His aged eyes met Naruto's, who had a cocky glint in his blue orbs. The Third resisted the urge to jump over his desk, cover the distance between them in an instant and smack the blond once for good measure. He went back to Naruto's picture.

"Take it again," he commanded. '_Does Naruto expect people to take him seriously as a ninja with this picture in his file?_' This just wouldn't do. The Third showed the registration form with the picture to Iruka, who sat beside the Hokage on the same desk.

Iruka's mouth hung open at the sight of the blond in white face paint with red spirals. "Naruto, how could you do this?" The Chunin shouted angrily at his former student.

"Eh, hehe… It took me forever to come up with a good pose." Naruto just smiled and rubbed the back of his head as if Iruka paid him a compliment. "It's pretty artistic, eh?"

"Take it again." The Third repeated his words in the same previous deadpan tone as before.

"NO WAY!"

"Take it again."

"Don't say that."

A moment passed between the Third and Naruto, a contest of wills.

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Hurricane Magic

By Oberon

Chapter 1

----------------------------

Naruto and Zelgadis looked down a long and lonely road overgrown with weed and forest vegetation. It was a hot day made only bearable by the stream at the end of this disused path. The need for privacy forced them to move their campsite here after Naruto blew up a section of the forest. Master and pupil stood side by side, each with their weapon at the ready. Zelgadis with his sword glowing an eerie red light and Naruto with a kunai held with both hands.

With his sword glowing red with magical energy, Zelgadis casually cut through the trunk of the nearest tree. The giant tree that had lived here undisturbed for over 50 years toppled over and fell on its side. The fallen three feet thick tree kicked up a dust cloud that reached as high as the shortest tree.

"That is the Astral Vine," Zelgadis began while Naruto's eyes narrowed into slits. "It enchants your weapon to easily cut through almost anything not protected by magic."

"So… it just makes your sword glow red and let's you cut down trees?" Naruto pointed at the Zelgadis' sword, his own kunai held with his other hand. "Though, it does look kinda cool but I don't think I'll learn it just for that."

At the moment, Zelgadis really wished he hadn't met the young blond. "Hold up your weapon, Naruto."

"Ok, if you say so." Naruto did as Zelgadis told him and held the kunai in front of him in a horizontal position.

"Don't move." With a quick downward cut, Zelgadis' glowing red sword hacked off the kunai's sharp end just half an inch out from Naruto's fingers.

The chimera sheathed his sword even before the broken off piece hit the floor.

"That's-that's…AWESOME!" Naruto's fingers twitched, dropping the other end of kunai.

"Oh great, I suppose now you'll say something like 'I'll get this jutsu down in three days. Believe it!' or something like that." Zelgadis perfectly mimicked Naruto down to the inflection in the boy's voice and the fist held up in declaration.

"Hell yeah," Naruto naturally replied. "Just wait and see. Three days, that's all it'll take."

"You say that now but we'll see."

Early the second day into training, Naruto already managed the recitation of the incantation without mistake. An accomplishment for the hyperactive blond but Zelgadis had to wonder if the boy suffered from brain damage when he came out of the womb.

"Good, Naruto. This method is working out for you." Most successors learned the incantation and the chaos words at the same time because it is useless to know one without the other. However, for Naruto's sorcery training, Zelgadis has decided the hyperactive blond needed some special education. That was why taught this spell in two parts. Naruto has just mastered the first part, the incantation.

"Eh? What do you mean, Zelgadis-sensei?" Naruto was clueless as usual.

The latest round of stupidity caused Zelgadis to pinch the bridge of his noise in frustration. "Most people learn the incantation and the Chaos Words at the same time. This way the words in the incantation become an aid to help recall the Chaos Words during spell casting. However, because of your… ahem… special condition. You will memorize the spoken portion first."

A bright smile appeared on Naruto's face. "So once I learn the Chaos Words I will be able to do this spell?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"YES! I'll be super cool when I cut Sasuke's shuriken in half."

"Naruto, I want you to promise me something."

"Sure," Naruto agreed without hesitation.

Zelgadis regarded Naruto calmly and wondered if now was the right time to spring the latest news on the high-spirited blond. "Promise me you will learn this spell no matter what."

"I'll learn this in the two days that I have left. No matter what," The hyperactive blond declared with determination of steel.

Zelgadis held Naruto's shoulders as he lowered himself to the blond's eye level. "Naruto, there is no way you can learn this spell in two days."

The words hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. "Wha…?"

"Listen to me, Naruto. This spell belongs to the Spiritual School of Shamanism, which they say is hardest school to learn. This spell is not only useful for fighting, it is also the only thing you will have that can hurt the thing in your stomach." Zelgadis let the words sunk in while Naruto instinctively placed a hand over his belly - over the seal for the nine-tailed fox. "If that demon ever gets out or you face another of his kind, this will at least give you a fighting chance."

Naruto grinned, the sudden dark mood lost in the moment. "You can count on me Zelgadis-sensei. Believe it!"

"I know you will but you also must realize, with your level of skill it will take years before you can use this spell effectively." The chimera decided there was no better way for the other shoe to drop. "Naruto…"

"Yeah, sensei?"

The determination in Naruto's blue eyes made the chimera hesitate.

"Never mind"

'Later,' Zelgadis decided.

----------------------------

**October 15th, Morning Explanatory Meeting **

Like everyday since graduation, Naruto checked the calendar first thing in the morning. The hyperactive blond smiled when he saw the date. The day Naruto had long awaited for came at last. October 15th, the day Naruto would officially take on the responsibility as Genin to the Leaf Village. His hand instinctively reached for his goggles on the dresser but stopped. He was a Genin now and today, he will show everyone. His hand reached for and picked up the Leaf Headband, the same one Iruka-sensei had gifted him. With pride and confidence, he fixed the band over his forehead.

Naruto's uneventful walk to the academy ended when Inuzuka Kiba got in the blond's face.

"What are you doing here, idiot. This is just for Genins." The larger boy had the personality of an uncouth canine and the breath to match. While Kiba's rather loud voice bellowed out each word, his faithful dog and familiar, Akamaru, barked in synchronization.

Naruto simply pointed to his forehead protector. "Yeah, and I'm a Genin." Naruto ignored Kiba's angry glare and just sat down at the closest seat. Kiba would have to throw him out of his chair to get him to leave. Even then, Naruto wouldn't go out without a fight.

"Since when did you pass?" Kiba growled but did nothing else.

Around that time, Shikamaru Nara found his way to Naruto and Kiba. He took one look at the blond and immediately questioned him on his presence here. "What are you dong here? Today is the explanatory meeting for those that graduated."

"See, that's what I was trying to find out." Kiba told Shikamaru hotly.

"Just look at my headband you two. Starting today, I'm a ninja." Naruto smiled widely. "This looks good on me, don't you think?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "How troublesome…" he walked off and after a moment, Kiba lost interest too.

Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno burst into the room, arguing about whom arrived first. Naruto stared in Sakura's direction, his face lighting up. "Good morning, Sakura!" Naruto greeted her with a smile as she approached.

"Out of my way!" Sakura snared as she elbowed him to the floor so she could sit next to Uchiha Sasuke.

Then Ino contested Sakura's right to sit in the chair she'd just thrown poor Naruto out of. In moments, most of the girls in the room were arguing over the evicted seat while Naruto still sprawled at their feet.

Naruto climbed up on the desk and glared at Sasuke, again attracting the ire of Sasuke's fan girls. Even worse, an inattentive boy at the desk in front of Naruto bumped into him during an intense moment during Sasuke and Naruto's staring contest. Naruto's lips met Sasuke' then the screams of outrage that followed immediately afterward, it seems the two boys had accidentally kissed. Naruto spat and gagged like he had been poisoned, his actions mirrored perfectly by Sasuke.

The Sasuke Lovers on the other hand, were incensed at Naruto's loose conduct – not to mention quite jealous. The beating they gave Naruto was well out of proportion to his actual crime. Only Iruka-sensei's intervention broke up the lynch mob. Poor Naruto looked like a wrecking ball had used his face for target practice.

When Iruka-sensei announced the graduation class would form teams of three, Naruto had already decided that he wanted Sakura on his team. For the other member, 'I can live with anyone as long as it's not Sasuke.' Those two thoughts kept repeating until Iruka finally reached team 7.

"Team 7, Uzumaki Naruto. Sakura Haruno,"

When Iruka said Sakura's name, Naruto jumped up in triumph while Sakura lowered her head in shame.

"…And Sasuke Uchiha" Now the situation reversed. Sakura jumped up and declared victory while Naruto sulked. Sasuke said nothing and appeared uninterested.

----------------------------

**Later**

The man stared at the eraser that landed on his head. Then, more for himself than the Genin team, Kakashi said, "Hmmm, how should I say this… My first impression of this group…I don't like you."

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura only had guilty faces to their sensei's bluntness.

"Meet me on the roof in five minutes." Kakashi disappeared in a puff of ninja smoke.

The meeting with Kakashi ended with the revelation that Naruto wasn't truly a Genin yet. Not until he passed Kakashi's survival exam tomorrow. That was no reason to stop training though.

"Zelgadis-sensei, I'm here." Naruto announced at the end of the overgrown path that led to a stream. He found the chimera fishing the stream with a makeshift rod made from a snapped tree branch.

Naruto practiced the Astral Vine until dark while Zelgadis fished. Neither teacher nor student had much luck.

"Naruto, isn't it about time you headed back?" Just then, Zelgadis had a bite on his fishing line. The fish the Chimera pulled out of the water struggled all the way but finally, Zelgadis swung his fishing rod with a sudden jerk and won the fight.

"Wow, that's pretty good sensei." Naruto eyed the fish hungrily, just a step away from drooling all over it.

"Would you like some, Naruto?" Zelgadis wondered what plagued his student. The blond usually wasn't afraid to eat and couldn't stand hunger for any amount of time.

"Nah," Naruto lied, he really wanted it. "Kakashi-sensei told me not to eat anything for the survival exam tomorrow. It's super important because I would be send back to the academy if I fail."

"Hmmm… survival you say." Zelgadis went into his thoughtful pose. "That's strange; usually you want to have a full belly to start."

Zelgadis didn't want to interfere with the boy's training from this new sensei but then decided it would be better for his own sanity if he did. "If he fails, he might start whining like when Gourry lost his Sword of Light," the chimera shuttered at the thought.

"Eh, what did you say, Zelgadis-sensei?"

Zelgadis tossed Naruto a bundle of cloth. "Take that with you tomorrow." The chimera instructed.

Naruto carefully unraveled the bundle and inside the folds were pieces of dry leather inside. "What's this?"

"Jerky, save it for when you think you can't go on."

Naruto threw the bundle of jerky on the ground. "Kakashi-sensei told me not to eat anything and I'm not gonna. It'll be like cheating."

Zelgadis held his head at the onset of another headache. '_And He wants to be a ninja?_' The chimera bopped Naruto on the head. "He said you can't eat before the exam. He never you can't eat during it, now did he?"

"Well, I suppose that's alright."

Zelgadis felt a lot better after he vented his frustration. "Good, remember to keep it with you and don't let him know you have it."

----------------------------

**Morning of Kakashi's Test**

The morning after of the test, Naruto arrived at the training ground before the first light of dawn. Sasuke and Sakura followed soon after with their supplies stuffed into backpacks for what they thought was a survival exam.

The three said nothing and simply sat in silence with their backs to one another as they waited for their sensei. All three consumed in their own thoughts.

Kakashi showed up an hour before noon to the angry glares of his students. He had some bullshit story about black cats but convinced no one. Then the white haired shinobi proceeded to tell the Genin that survival test was less about survival and more about getting the two bells on him. Only those that got a bell would become ninja.

"But wait, why are there only two bells?" Sakura pointed out.

Kakashi smiled. "Well the person that didn't get a bell will be tied to a log and has to watch me eat their lunch right in front of them." The next part truly delighted the white haired Kakashi. "Oh, and by the way, that person will also be sent back to the academy. It might be just one or all three." Their faces brought a smile to the Jonin, though the Genin couldn't see it. "You can use shuriken and kunai. To win, you must come at me with deadly force."

"But sensei, don't you think shuriken are a little too much?" Sakura complained while Sasuke remained quiet the entire time.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed. "You couldn't even dodge a chalk eraser."

Kakashi became serious. "In society, those that don't have many abilities tend to complain more. Just ignore the idiot with the lowest score."

Naruto literally saw red. "I can stand other people calling me an idiot. But not from you!" Naruto whipped out his kunai from the holster strapped to his thigh. Then he charged the Jonin while he formed a crossed hand seal. "I'll kill you." The battle with the kumo kuniochi had taught Naruto not to charge anyone head on. He had slightly better success when he attacked all three kumo-nin with an army of Kage Bunshin than when he took on that one kunoichi by himself. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Five Narutos materialized to fight Kakashi. Two jumped and went for an aerial thrust with the kunai. The three clones on the ground split up. The center Naruto went straight for Kakashi while the other two ran to the side, surrounding the masked Jonin.

But Kakashi was not a Jonin just because he supplied the Hokage with Icha Icha Paradise books. With his superior reach, Kakashi easily caught the wrists of the two Naruto's in the air. Then he flipped back while he planted each foot on the abdomen of each clone, using his legs and the clones' momentum as leverage. The two clones he threw backwards exploded on contact with the ground.

Meanwhile the two Narutos on the side got into position and attacked Kakashi from the side while the last Naruto rammed down the center.

Kakashi disposed the clone to the left with a quick leg sweep. "Too slow," he taunted Naruto while he grabbed the remaining clones by their kunai hand. He redirected their thrust but stopped their momentum just before the clone stabbed the real Naruto's jugular, and vise versa.

"Meh, I haven't even said start yet." The masked Kakashi continued his taunt even though he saw the anger in Naruto's eyes.

Naruto glared at his sensei with pure hatred. He tried to pull back from his own clone but Kakashi's grip was iron tight. He had no choice but to dismiss the clone. The smoke cleared and only the real Naruto remained in Kakashi's grasp.

"You seemed a little hot today, Naruto." The Jonin twisted Naruto's wrist, nearly broke it forcing Naruto to drop the kunai. Then Kakashi spun his student around then he crunched down and formed the Tora seal, index and middle fingers together pointing straight up.

Sakura realized what Kakashi was going to do. "No, sensei, don't do it!" She screamed out.

"Ninja tactics lesson 1: Don't let your opponent get behind you." Kakashi jabbed straight at the blond's behind. "Secret Taijutsu Technique: 1,000 years of pain!"

Naruto blinked and then it hit him. The pain shut up his spine and by pure reflex, the blond launched himself into the air.

The screaming blond came down on the lake only to hear Kakashi's final taunt.

"Why don't you cool off," his sensei smirked behind his mask just as Naruto hit the water.

Naruto gurgled as he sank underneath the lake. Just as Kakashi said, the cool water cooled his temper but sapped his strength. He didn't struggle as the current carried him to the bottom. "Damn it… It's not supposed to end like this…" and it wouldn't, Naruto decided. Determination replaced anger but his burning muscles reminded him of his hunger as he tried desperate to reach the surface. "I can't fight him like this. I'm so hungry I can't even make another Kage Bunshin."

"_Take that with you for tomorrow…" _Zelgadis-sensei's words came to him and Naruto remembered.

"That's right, sensei gave me something. But what was it?" He remembered he had something with him, he just can't remember what to do with it.

Naruto's head broke the surface and he coughed violently. Slowly he crawled his way to shore. The hyperventilating blond breathed heavily when he glared dangerously at Kakashi. "I'm not done yet. You got lucky, that's all. Just wait until I get something to eat, then you're going down." That's it. Something to eat was exactly what Zelgadis gave him last night.

At the mention of food, both Sasuke's and Sakura's stomach growled.

"Did you have a nice swim, Naruto? Since you have cooled off, we can begin." Kakashi regarded the Genins, especially Sasuke but he didn't let the boy know he had any special interest in him. "Remember. Come at me as if you are going to kill me. Nothing less will do. Ready, Start!"

At his words, all three Genins jumped back.

"The basic art of a ninja is to conceal his presence and hide." Kakashi looked around, only he stood in the clearing. "Good… everyone is hiding nicely." He half expected the loudmouth blond to stand there and challenge him but Naruto hid like the rest of his team. He decided to go after Naruto first. He was the weakest even though he could do the Kage Bunshin as the rumors claimed. "This will give Sasuke a chance to prepare and show his full ability."

Kakashi found Naruto with little difficulty. The blond thought he was safe in an open grass field. Kakashi continued his observation of the blond fully aware that Sasuke had followed him here and Sakura had followed Sasuke. "Sasuke must be waiting until I let my guard down," Kakashi thought. He was a little disappointed in the Uchiha; the boy severely underestimated the enemy. Nonetheless, Kakashi decided to let Sasuke see this.

Meanwhile, Naruto took out the package Zelgadis gave him last night. The water from the lake had soaked through the cloth and into the meat. The jerky tasked like algae from his swim earlier but the blond devoured hungrily. He bit into a strip and tore off a piece with his teeth, like chewing through wet sandpaper.

"He saw through my trick and thought ahead." Kakashi thought silently from his hiding place. "I have to give him credit. Perhaps he's not hopeless after all."

Naruto finished off the last piece then patted his belly. "Ah, that hit the spot."

"Pst, didn't I tell you not to eat anything?" Kakashi whispered into Naruto's ear. The boy froze when he realized the Jonin had snuck up from behind. What's worse, Kakashi caught him eating. The boy swallowed nervously. "There will be no eating during the test!" With a mighty kick to the ass, Kakashi send Naruto into the stratosphere. The white haired Jonin ended the kick like a soccer player that had just kicked the ball across the field.

Naruto disappeared over the tree line but Kakashi suddenly felt several kunai disturb the air. "A trap," The Jonin regained his balance from the soccer kick just in time. The kunai nailed the ground where he would have stood had he not dodged the incoming projectile. Kakashi looked up and saw the grinning blond and his clones on a tree across the grass field. Each of the boys still had a piece of the jerky hung from their lips.

"Well, well, well, you surprised me yet again." Before Kakashi could finish his compliment, the eight Narutos attacked him as one.

The blonds gave off a battle cry then launched their kunai at Kakashi in sequenced and forced the Jonin to block each kunai as it came in. This bought the Narutos precious seconds to close in from their dive. Kakashi took a step back, avoided the last kunai just as the Narutos landed where he previously stood. One of them grabbed the kunai that Kakashi had just dodged. The other seven spread out, encircling their sensei.

The blond that recovered the kunai issued a challenge to Kakashi. "That bell is mine."

The Jonin decided that he must be the real Naruto. With a quick burst of speed, he delivered a brutal right hook to the blond's cheek. Kakashi's punch had enough force to knock Naruto into a puff of ninja smoke.

"A clone," the other seven rushed him while his back was to them. The Jonin caught the first clumsy punch without looking and used the momentum to swing around and knock back two other Narutos with the one he caught. All three disappear while four others ran through the smoke left behind by the first three.

The first one that got to Kakashi went down in an instant while the white haired shinobi avoided a counter kick with a cross guard block. The next clone went down quickly followed by another from Kakashi's fast strikes until finally, only one Naruto still stood. With all his attention focused on what he thought was the real Naruto, a hand burst through the soft soil beneath Kakashi's feet and held on to the Jonin. Naruto surprised Kakashi yet again at the very moment as another clone of the blond grabbed the Jonin from behind, restraining his arms.

"Hehe, what did you say about not letting an enemy get behind you?" The blond on his back taunted.

"Very good, Naruto, but not good enough." The masked Jonin moved to extract the one holding him from behind by using his powerful left arms. Out of nowhere, another Naruto restrained the arm before it could reach the clone.

In an instant, Naruto had swarmed Kakashi with his clones. At least six clones clung on the Jonin and held him with all their might. The blonds held on with everything they had, fighting against Kakashi's greater physical power by exerting force from different angles.

"Impressive. You held back your clones while you hid another underground. When I thought I found the real you, the one underground ambushed me from below." Kakashi allowed the blonds their moment of victory. The satisfied smirks on their faces told Kakashi the blond savored every second of it. "I underestimated you, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Hehe, get ready for pain." The clones shouted in unison. "I am going to beat you."

A Jonin wouldn't take such threats seriously, not coming from a Genin, most of the time. A Jonin would naturally have more knowledge of jutsu that would allow him or her to escape while experience gave the Jonin an insurmountable advantage over the most talented of Genins. Their difference in power, knowledge and experience was so vast that most Jonin could destroy 99.99 of all Genins. Kakashi would have ignored Naruto's threats too, if not for the suddenly sense of dread that came from Naruto. Years of combat in the last war had honed Kakashi survival instincts, giving him a split second warning before a powerful attack. Against any skilled shinobi, this extrasensory perception was nearly useless because most shinobi learned to hide their intensions or gave off a steady threat of danger during combat. However, for reasons Kakashi couldn't fathom, he felt the danger from Naruto spike sky-high.

"Source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson…" The real Naruto began the chant from several feet behind Kakashi. He recited the incantation quietly under his lips while he squinted in intense concentration. This will wipe out all the clones but will also take out Kakashi in the process. Naruto's eyes snapped open. "Alright, this is it!"

Kakashi new his life was in danger, with little recourse, the Jonin opened his First of the Eight Inner Gates.

The Inner Gates are natural inhibitors that prevent a human from using more than 20 of their muscle strength. By opening each gate, a shinobi can gain a massive flow of strength and Chakra but at the expense of their health. A person can only maintain this state for short bursts and with all eight gates open, the person gains tremendous power but death is assured shortly afterwards.

Kakashi opened the first gate, Kaimon, giving him five times his normal strength. The sudden burst of power was enough to overpower the Naruto clones. The masked Jonin tossed the clones aside and flung them out of his way. He whipped around and found the source of the danger. The real Naruto stood across the grassy field with a look of intense concentration.

"Let thy power gather…" Naruto locked eyes with Kakashi but the Jonin wouldn't give him the chance to finish. The white haired shinobi crossed the distance between them so fast that Naruto couldn't even see him move. Nor did Naruto see the fist to his jaw until he reeled from the pain. Naruto lost concentration before he summoned the streaks of spiraling amber, the spell ended.

The grass slipped under him until he finally stopped and Naruto fell into unconsciousness.

----------------------------

From the undergrowth of the forest, Sasuke had a clear view of Naruto's fight with Kakashi. He waited silently, controlling his breathing and muscle movements, waiting for the moment that never came. Kakashi never relaxed for a second, not even after he knocked Naruto out with such speed that Sasuke couldn't even see the Jonin move from this vantage point. The Uchiha reserved one last contemptuous stare for the blond.

"You're trash Naruto and always will be," he thought silently then moved away to prepare for his own fight with Kakashi. "What an idiot, you exposed your real self by standing so far away from your clones."

With that thought, Sasuke grinned as a plan formed. He had seen what the Jonin can do. However incompetent Naruto was, he did show Sasuke one thing. Kakashi was just like every ordinary ninja, not impossible to fool. He'd be ready.

----------------------------

Sakura had lost track of Sasuke shortly after Naruto's defeat. "I have to find Sasuke. If sensei did that to Naruto…I have to go help Sasuke."

The kunoichi felt a presence behind her. "Sasuke…?"

"Sorry, it's just me." Kakashi grinned as he whispered to Sakura and watched the girl stiffen. "Ninja tactic lesson 2: Genjutsu!"

Genjutsu is the art of illusion. Using various means, a Genjutsu user makes an opponent see and feel things that isn't real. Another words, it is the power to attack the mind directly, bypassing the body.

Moments later, Sakura's scream echoed in the forest.

----------------------------

"That must be Sakura," the scream had reached Sasuke but the boy only spared the kunoichi a second of thought. He felt no desire for her safety nor did he felt the curiosity for the kunoichi's fate. He had set a trap for Kakashi. Here he would make a stand.

"Did you enjoy the show?" Kakashi stood, leaning casually on a tree behind Sasuke. "Naruto gave me a work out, could you do any better?"

Sasuke huffed. "Why would I care about that idiot? He lost."

Sasuke turned around to face Kakashi, for a moment a silent peace existed between them as they gauged the other's readiness. The Uchiha suddenly drew and launched a kunai at the Jonin, forcing Kakashi back.

"You know, Naruto came very close. He might have taken a bell from me if he wasn't so focused on beating me." Kakashi taunted, probing for any obvious buttons like with Naruto.

Sasuke only grinned when he saw the Jonin avoid his kunai. He spun a second kunai in his hand, ready to cut the trip wire for his trap. Sasuke just needed Kakashi to stand there for a split second for the kunai trap he planted. Fifteen kunais would fly out from their hiding place and skewer anything in its way.

"I'm not through yet!"

Kakashi suddenly spun around and dodged a kunai thrown from above his head. Sasuke cursed and held back the trap because Kakashi now stood to the left of kunais trap's path.

Naruto landed on the tree Kakashi had leaned on just moments ago. He looked beaten up with trickling blood from one lip while his entire left face swelled into one giant bruise after Kakashi's knockout punch.

"Damn it. Get out of here, idiot. You're in the way!" Sasuke shouted to the blond. He ruined everything.

Kakashi spied Naruto with a lame look. "Have you come to help Sasuke, Naruto? I think he was doing a pretty good job before you came along."

The blond glared at the Uchiha then back at Kakashi. "Hell, no. I just came to beat you up."

But Kakashi dismissed the blond with a casual wave and a hint of disappointment which he hid really well. "I see. Attack me if you wish. I bet Sasuke here can show you a thing or two."

While Kakashi talked, Sasuke sensed his opponent let his guard down just for a moment. The Uchiha took the opening and rapidly flashed through a set of hand seals.

Kakashi ignored Sasuke until the Uchiha form the last seal, a Tora, and then the boy inhaled a deep breath. "What? That isn't a technique a Genin can do." There was genuine surprise in Kakashi's voice.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Naruto watched the confusion as Sasuke roasted Kakashi alive. The blond got another shock once the jutsu ended when out from nowhere, Kakashi's hand erupted from the ground, grabbed Sasuke and pulled him all the way down, burying Sasuke up to the neck.

Sasuke glared up at Kakashi with only his head aboveground.

The Jonin then turned to Naruto who still have a dumbfounded look on his face. Kakashi suddenly had a wicked thought but he kept it hidden underneath his mask. He stood directly over Sasuke's head and pulled out a kunai, dangled it with the sharp end right over the Uchiha's skull. His free hand went to his hip and retrieved one of the two bells needed for the exam. Then he stood with arms wide open, the kunai and the bell as far apart as the distance between Kakashi's outstretched hands on either side would allow.

"Naruto, I know how hard it has been for you to get this far. That is why I will give you one last chance to pass." Kakashi let the Kunai slip just a little bit. "When I count to three, I will drop both the Kunai and the bell. You have a choice, you can let Sasuke die and get a bell or you can safe Sasuke's life and forgo the bell."

'_What should I do? What should I do?_' Naruto froze up then his entire body shook. The weight on his heart felt so heavy that he did not notice his own nails had dug so deep into his palm that he bled there as well. His eyes went to the bell then to the kunai and finally down to Sasuke.

"Ticktock, ticktock, Naruto."

The blond looked away, disgusted with his sensei and the choice he placed on him.

Kakashi saw the indecision and pushed the blond further when he again let the kunai slip just a little more. "A shinobi is often faced with the decision to safe his comrade or complete the mission. Those that fail are trash. So, Naruto what will it be?"

"Shut up!" The blond shouted, barely held on as he kept his rage in check for fear that he would do something to make Kakashi drop the kunai. "Just, shut up."

"Well, you must have made up your mind. I will start counting."

"One…"

"Two…"

Can Naruto figure out the answer before it's too late? Stay tuned and find out.

"Three…"

----------------------------

To be continued in chapter 2

Enjoy and Review

PS. If questions please post in on the Hurricane Magic Q&A thread in my forum. Go to my profile to enter the forum.


	3. Omake 1

Hurricane Magic

By Oberon

Omake #1

"Naruto, I know how hard it has been for you to get this far. That is why I will give you one last chance to pass." Kakashi let the Kunai slip just a little bit. "When I count to three, I will drop both the Kunai and the bell. You have a choice, you can let Sasuke die and get a bell or you can safe Sasuke's life and forgo the bell."

'_What should I do? What should I do?_' Naruto froze up, his entire body shock. The weight on his heart felt so heavy that he did not notice his own nails had dug so deep into his palm that he bled there as well. His eyes went to the bell then to the kunai and finally down to Sasuke.

"Ticktock, ticktock, Naruto."

The blond looked away, disgusted with his sensei and the choice he placed on him.

Kakashi saw the indecision and pushed the blond further when he again let the kunai slip just a little more. "A shinobi is often faced with the decision to safe his comrade or complete the mission. Those that fail are trash. So, Naruto what will it be?"

"Shut up!" The blond shouted, barely held on as he kept his rage in check for fear that he would do something to make Kakashi drop the kunai. "Just, shut up."

"Well, you must have made up your mind. I will start counting."

"One…" Unknown even to Kakashi, the kunai slipped a little more.

"Two…"

"Oops, sorry about that Sasuke. It's a nice hair cut though, at least now you don't look like a duck"


	4. Chapter 2

Hurricane Magic

Chapter 2

By Oberon

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor Slayers. Any use of concept or character is used without permission or for profit.

Forward: Naruto does not have any Blood Limit of any sorts. Any discussion to the contrary is but the idol speculation of the characters.

* * *

The kunai hung over Sasuke's head like the specter of death. 

"Just, shut up." It was as if someone flipped a switch in Naruto. His eyes snapped open. Riddled with indecision one second, the next he looked directly into Kakashi's eyes with furious resolve.

Kakashi, the Copycat Ninja, saw the determination in his would-be student as Naruto jumped off the tree. "Well, you must have made up your mind. I will start counting." The kunai Kakashi held over Susuke slipped a little further. "One," On his other hand, the dangled bell jingled slightly.

Naruto ran straight at Kakashi instead of the bell or the kunai.

'_Do you plan to attack, Naruto? You know that will get you nowhere_,' Kakashi let the bell and kunai slip just a hair more. "Two…"

Just then, Sakura emerged from the bushes and saw the scene. "Eh…? Sasuke…?" The kunoichi only saw Sasuke's head and Kakashi who stood over him. "Sasuke's head!" Sakura screamed and fainted a second time.

The Genjutsu Kakashi had used on Sakura created the illusion of Sasuke's demise. When she saw Sasuke buried up to the neck just now, she naturally assumed that Kakashi had decapitated the Uchiha in a most brutal fashion. As the kunoichi fell, she accidentally tripped the trap wire to Sasuke's kunai trap. The wire snapped under Sakura's weight.

The trap wire sprung a tree branch help at tension. When the wire snapped, a branch connected to the other end of the wire whipped back into its original shape and flung the 15 kunai planted by Ssuke.

Kakashi felt the high-speed approach of the kunai as he counted off to 'two'. He turned around just in time to see the shadow of the flying kunai with his normal eye stuck wide open with surprise. He couldn't dodge; Naruto wouldn't have seen the kunai and thus stood little chance against them. He had little time, ruling out Kawarimi no Jutsu even with his speed.

The Kawarimi no Jutsu, or the Body Substitution Technique, instantly switches the user with a nearby object. However, the Kawarimi requires advance planning, meaning the user must have the replacement object in mind. Kakashi literally had a split second before the kunai would hit him and had no time to find a suitable object to take his place in the kunai' path.

The Copycat ninja let go of the kunai he held over Sasuke, then without looking, he stuck his finger into the ring at the end of the same kunai handle during the instant of free fall. Flailing the kunai in front of him and deflecting every incoming projectile away from his body, Kakashi's arms literally blurred for the next second.

Unfortunately, one of the kunai Kakashi deflected flew high into the air. On its way down, the kunai headed right for the helpless Sasuke. Kakashi realized what happened but when he looked down, he smiled.

Naruto skit to a stop just inches from Sasuke's face. His right arm held over the Uchiha's head while his blue eyes met Sasuke's dark orbs.

Trickles of Naruto's blood dripped on Sasuke. "Idiot, why did you save me? You could have passed."

Naruto's eyes fixed angrily at Sasuke the entire time. "I can't help it. My body just moved on its own."

No one saw the smile on Kakashi's face, mainly because Kakashi wore a mask.

"Congratulations. The three of you passed."

* * *

**Hokage's Office, Later That Day**

The Copycat Ninja was the last Jonin the Third saw that day. Kakashi Hatake, the instructor that failed every academy graduate he came across, had finally accepted a team.

"I assume these Genin met your standards. Unless, of course, you had other reasons to pass them…" The Third sucked a puff of tobacco smoke from his pike then exhaled sharply. People thought Kakashi simply didn't want the responsibility of a team. They said that was why the Copycat Ninja failed every graduate candidate. Kakashi's normally aloof personality didn't help his case either. But the Third Hokage knew better. Kakashi had set the standard impossibly high. After all, Kakashi learned the concept of the Bell Test from the Fourth Hokage who learned it from Jiraiya who learned it from the Third Hokage who first learned it from the First Hokage of the Leaf Village. This time, however, the Third wasn't so sure if Kakashi's motives were pure.

The Copycat Ninja never took his attention off the volume Icha Icha Paradise. After all, he missed his reading time because he had to administer the Bell Test to Naruto's team. "They did technically work together. Sakura set off the trap left by Sasuke as distraction while Naruto came up from behind. They may not have intended that things happened this way but I like them."

"And what is your assessment of their individual abilities?"

"Meh, that's hard to say." Kakashi scratched his head. "I'll start with Sakura." Sakura Haruno, number one in written test scores at the academy but last in combat training. Between Sasuke Uchiha, the overall number one rookie, and Naruto, the dead last, Sakura got into that team solely because of her average grades. "She is by far the weakest of the three in terms of ability. In addition, she seems far more interested in Sasuke than becoming a kunoichi."

The Hokage nodded. The Leaf Village had the largest population of shinobi while only a small number of exceptional ones. The Will of Fire lived in all of them but some burned more brightly than others. "So you think she will be a liability to the others."

Kakashi shrugged.

"We'll have to wait and see."

The Hokage had Sakura's file in front of him. She scored the highest in all written exams but her combat training only faired slightly better than Naruto. "Her test scores indicated she would be more perceptive and levelheaded than either Naruto or Sasuke Uchiha. I guess she disappointed you in that regard."

"I still have some hope for her. But I am more interested in the other members of the team."

"The Uchiha?"

"Yes, let's talk about Sasuke." Sasuke Uchiha, the number one rookie this year, the last survivor of the Uchiha clan with an obsession that made him potentially dangerous. The meeting on the roof yesterday had revealed Sasuke's two goals in life, to kill a certain man and to resurrect his clan. Kakashi doubted the latter after he witnessed Sasuke's reaction to girls but the former drove the Uchiha's every action. "His potential certainly interests me. He showed a Chunin level jutsu and advance planning in his trap. Might have worked too if Naruto didn't butt in."

"Not too impressed I hope." The Third cautioned. "Sometimes it's the ones you had the highest hope for that disappoints you the most." The Third spoke with a hint of sadness and regret from his own experience. He had favorite student too, once.

"Meh, I can keep my feelings about the Uchihas separate."

The Hokage hoped that was the truth but he also knew Kakashi always felt he owed a debt to the Uchiha clan for the gift of his Sharingan eye. "And finally, what did you think of Naruto?"

"Hmmm…" Naruto sure gave Kakashi a few surprises. "About Naruto…" the blond saw through the deception of the Bell Test and even played the role of a fool, tricking Kakashi into a trap. The question is, why keep up the act all the time? "He is an enigma for sure."

Many people had many names for the hyperactive blond and none of these names were flattering. This was the first time the Hokage heard the word enigma used to described Naruto. If anything, the blond was easy to understand. "What do you mean?" the Third asked, curiously.

"Let's just say he might have fooled all of us. We underestimated him. I believe he is far more capable than we first thought."

The Hokage smiled inwardly, happy that Naruto finally got the attention he so desperately sought. "It is good that Naruto found someone who recognizes his talents for once. It pained me that the academy didn't give him a fair chance he deserved."

Kakashi snapped closed the pink book in his hand and gave the Hokage his serious look. "Hmm… How should I say this…? Are you aware of any jutsu Naruto might have learned beside the Kage Bunshin?"

The Third stroked his beard, thoughtful and curious at the same time. "No, as far as I know, the Kage Bunshin was the only extraordinary ability he had shown so far."

"That's strange." During the exam, Naruto had trapped him with his clones. Then, from behind Kakashi's position, came the feeling of impending doom. "There was one moment during the test that I genuinely feared for my life as well as Sasuke's. And this feeling, this dread, came from Naruto."

"That is strange indeed." When Naruto took the Forbidden Scroll, he told Iruka he only had time to learn one jutsu. The Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, it came as a surprise to the Hokage that Naruto learned such an advance jutsu in the first place. With the latest piece of information from Kakashi… perhaps Naruto had pulled the wool over everyone's eyes, including that of the Hokage. "Were you able to see what Naruto did?"

"Unfortunately I wasn't able to observe him with my Sharingan eye. Whatever he tried to do, it did not require the use of hand seals." The determination in Naruto's eyes convinced Kakashi that Naruto indeed had something up his sleeve. "I was half tempted to replace myself with one of the clones and watch from a safe distance but I felt it would be too dangerous with Sasuke nearby."

The Hokage inhaled deeply from his pipe. "That is a shame. I am very interested to know what he did. There is but a hand full of jutsu that does not require hand seals and almost all of them are abilities granted by Bloodline Limits."

Bloodline Limits are inherited abilities that allowed a ninja to perform feats thought impossible even by regular ninja. These abilities were usually genetic mutations passed from parent to child and included Kakashi's Sharingan eye. Kakashi usually kept his special eye covered with his headband and used his normal non-Sharingan eye.

"Is it possible for Naruto to have a Bloodline Limit of some kind that we are not aware of?"

The question made the Hokage hold back the tobacco smoke slightly longer than normal. "That's hard to say, his birth records only tells us he is orphan. Only the Fourth knew Naruto's origins but alas, he took that to his grave. It's always possible He chose Naruto because the boy had the potential to live up to the His expectations."

"I see," Kakashi opened the volume of Icha Icha Paradise again. "Naruto doesn't seem like the type to act against the village but I will keep an eye on him just in case."

"I'm sure you would have nothing to worry about. Even now, I see Naruto as the hero the Fourth meant him to be despite the fact that no one else shares my opinion."

"If that is all, Lord Hokage," Kakashi nodded to the Third. "I hear there will be a special release of the latest Icha Icha novel. I must be going. As always, I'll leave an extra copy at the usual spot."

* * *

**Four Months Later**

Naruto once again squinted from the intense mental concentration. He recited the incantation, saw the Chaos Words in his mind but they were blurry. He felt the magic flow into his hands even as he lost track of the Chaos Words.

"Astral Vine!" The dark metal of the kunai lit up from the inside first. The light spread slowly from within the folded metal core outward. "What the…" instead of the bright crimson red blade he expected, the kunai had the same shade of pink as Sakura's hair. Still, this was the first time Naruto's efforts had any effect at all. In his excitement, just in the span for one blink of the eyes, the light was gone. "I almost had it."

Zelgadis checked his student's progress while he practiced his sword fighting skills. Naruto made some advancement today but still a ways off before he could use that spell in combat. However, Naruto wouldn't need the chimera's supervision from now on.

The stone chimera made up his mind. He sheaved his sword and beckoned to Naruto.

"Naruto, stop for a minute. I have something to tell you."

"Are we going to learn a new jutsu, Zelgadis-sensei?" The blond grinned, since he almost learned this jutsu, it was time for a new one.

Zelgadis bopped Naruto's skull again, the mystical swordsman lost count of the many times he had relief himself this way. "Idiot, finish with this one first." The chimera debated his words to the boy but settled for the blunt approach. "Now listen, Naruto. Now that you have gotten this far, I think it's about time we parted ways."

"…"

Zelgadis sighed. The look in Naruto's eyes almost made him change his mind, almost. "Now just hold on." Zelgadis yelled when he saw the sad boy. "I said I'll teach you, not baby-sit you the rest of your life."

"Can't…can't you stay a little longer?"

The swordsman thought back to the day he washed up on the shores of this continent. "I'm sorry, Naruto but there are some things that I can't put off any longer." Zelgadis was alone ever since the disaster. "My friends and I came from one of the lands across the sea. When we first sailed to this continent, a sudden storm caught our boat just offshore." That night, he drifted to the beach along with the only thing left from the boat, a bulkhead from the lower decks. "Of the four of us, only I made it to shore. But I know they're still out there, somewhere. I have to find them."

Even though Naruto's heart felt heavy, he nonetheless struggled with a mask of cheerfulness. "Hay, don't worry about it. Go find your friends. I'll be alright."

"Thank you, Naruto."

The boy grinned. "Hay, hay, I should be the one thanking you for teaching me these kick ass jutsu."

In one of the rare moments, Zelgadis let Naruto's positive attitude infect him. "Want to go get a bowl of Ramen?"

"I thought you would never ask."

Zelgadis followed Naruto into the Leaf Village. Far from the nearest city light, the chimera pulled the hood from his cloak over his head and the scarf around the neck up over his noise. They passed several civilians that ignored them, thinking Zelgadis just another one of those crazy ninja.

They walked around town without incident except for a crazy old lady that came at Zelgadis with a broom. They got away with only a few whacks to Zelgadis' head. As Naruto explained it, the crazy old day goes after anyone that walks on her lawn. Just the other day she attacked Naruto for the same reason. 1

Then they heard a loud high-pitched scream from the two-story house next to the old lady's house. A second later, a kitchen sink flew out the second story window but thankfully, no one was nearby. 2

After that, Naruto saw Sakura from across the street. "Sakura!" The blond waved at the pink haired kunoichi.

But the girl just blenched when she heard her name. She waved back, politely and mechanically. Then she saw the tall stranger next to her hyperactive teammate.

"Hay, Naruto. Who is that with you?" She shouted from across the street then quickly ran to Naruto's side.

"This is Zelgadis; we were just going to Ichiroku's for ramen. You want to come along?" Naruto said everything without thinking.

At first, Zelgadis tried the chameleon approach and fade into the background without the girl's unwanted attention but Naruto screwed that up. The chimera only rolled his eye in annoyance.

Sakura studied the stranger, sneaking a peek under his hood out of curiosity. But in the dying light of day, she saw nothing but shadow. "Zelgadis… that's kinda strange for a name. Don't you think?"

"Ahum… I'll just be on my way." The chimera said awkwardly.

Sakura leaned close to Naruto, her very proximity made the boy blush. "Pst, your friend is a little suspicious." She whispered, trying not to offend but doing a good job at just that.

"Hay, he's alright." Naruto laughed and slapped Zelgadis' back.

Sakura shrugged. "If you say so," she honestly didn't care if Naruto hung around with the wrong type. As long as the hyperactive blond did not taint Sasuke's perfection then the pink haired kunoichi was content. She lost interest. "Well, I'm going to go… aham… do some training." More like stalking Sasuke while he trained. "Don't follow me."

Naruto watched the kunoichi snuck into one of the training fields in the village. The hyperactive blond suddenly felt depressed then switched over to hatred for the Sasuke-bastard.

Zelgadis took the hint. "Let's go Naruto. I'm feeling a little hungry."

The blond instantly beamed. "That's right. RAMEN!"

The two arrived at Ichiroku's Ramen half an hour later. They sat by themselves in a little corner inside the Ramen shop and Naruto ordered two Deluxe Ichiroku Specials. A little while later, Naruto happily dug into a bowls of steaming noodles. Zelgadis on the other hand had better table manners and ate his bowl slowly, savoring the flavor.

"One more bowl!" Naruto demanded when Zelgadis finished his first.

The chimera looked up and his eyes bulged out when he saw the empty bowls of ramen next to the blond, stacked up to eye level. "Hay Naruto, if you ever meet a girl with orange hair that eats as much as you, tell her about me."

"Eh… what did you say?" Naruto stopped long enough to listen.

"Her name is Lina Inverse but you must address her as 'The Beautiful Sorcery Genius Lina Inverse' when you talk to her." Naruto's table manners were about as bad as Lina's. "Also, never call her 'A little girl' or 'flat'. Your life might be in danger if you do. You got that, Naruto?"

"Always say she's beautiful. Never call her an 'a little girl' or 'flat'. Got it," the blond nudged Zelgadis with his elbow. "Hay, hay, is she your girlfriend?"

Zelgadis blushed. "No, and don't you dare say that to her. She's just a friend, one of the people I'm looking for."

"Does she know any cool jutsu?" The blond grinned widely and signaled Ichiroku for another bowl.

"You wouldn't find out if you're lucky." He mumbled the next part. "But knowing you, I doubt it. She blasted Gourry enough times for being an idiot."

"What does that mean?"

"Never mind"

* * *

Naruto bid farewell to his sensei as the chimera walked into the sunset. With the Hidden Leaf behind him, Zelgadis set off to find his friends. Lina, Gourry and Amelia were out there, somewhere. Knowing Lina, she's probably up to her old tricks. He felt sorry for any bandits that crossed her path. Gourry would probably be with her, they always seemed to find each other. And Amelia, well… she'll probably be on some rooftop spouting the merits of Truth and Justice.

* * *

A month after Zelgadis left the Leaf Village, Naruto, fed up with D-rank missions, finally demanded that they do something different. Since Kakashi's bell test, Team 7 had done nothing but D Rank missions. Most of these missions ended as nothing more than community service. There was the housecleaning gig for the old lady with the broken leg at the far side of town. Then there were the farmers that need a vermin exterminator, ninja style. Ninja gardening was a good workout but Sasuke's cool, I'm better than you thus can kill more rats than you can, attitude pissed Naruto off. But what really pissed Naruto off was the Daimyo's damn cat. The fur ball escaped every few days and thanks to Kakashi's tardiness, it seemed that Team 7 always got the job to recapture it for the Daimyo's wife. All the other Jonin instructors had the good sense to stay away from this mission. 

After the cat maimed Naruto's face for the third time that week, the hyperactive blond demanded that Kakashi get them a different mission. Thankfully, Sasuke and Sakura backed him up on this.

That was how Team 7 got the Rank-C escort mission for Tazuna, the bridge builder. Team 7 was less than a day out from the Leaf when Kakashi notices an odd puddle of water in the road. Usually not an important detail but Kakashi had noted the area had not rained for the past few days. Thus, the pool of water was out of place during a hot arid day.

Kakashi heard the slight ripple of water as their enemy revealed themselves but the Copycat ninja continued as normal. He hid the fact that he knew there were two of them and instead, he silently prepared a Kawarimi no Jutsu with a substitute in mind. The enemy attacked him first, since Kakashi took up the rear as well as the most dangerous opponent of Team 7. They came up behind Kakashi, their chains rattling as they ran.

The two enemy ninja attacked Kakashi by wrapping him in their chain of razor sharp spikes. Once they entangled their opponent, their mechanical gauntlets rotated and retracted the chain. The effect literally sawed their opponent into pieces. They noticed the blond frozen in fear and they know who would be their next target.

"What," Naruto cried out at Kakashi who literally fell into pieces.

"First one," the two enemies that just killed Kakashi counted.

Kakashi watched from the distance. The Jonin saw the shock and genuine fear in his students and especially Naruto when the enemy appeared behind the blond. '_Show me, Naruto. Show me what you are capable of._'

But Naruto choked in the face of the two shinobi that began to entrap him with their razor chain. Then suddenly, Sasuke saved the day with a well-aimed shuriken that nailed the chain into a tree trunk. The two hostiles disconnected the chain from their gauntlet and went after the client, forcing Kakashi out of hiding.

Sasuke placed himself between the enemy and Tazuna but Kakashi caught the two missing-nins and stopped them in their place.

Tazuna spilled the beans after Kakashi interrogated the missing-nin and reveal that they came to kill the bridge builder. Apparently, the bridge builder stepped on a few toes with this bridge he had under construction to connect the Land of Waves to the mainland.

Kakashi then turned his attention back to Naruto. _'You're a very interesting person, Naruto. I honestly did not expect you to keep up the act in that situation._' Kakashi was convinced that Naruto hid his abilities that time. He did not know why his student did this, which only added to the mystery of Naruto Uzumaki. '_For someone who wants to become Hokage, he sure doesn't show it._'

But Sasuke taunted the blond as always. "What's the matter? You scared?"

Naruto had received a tiny cut on his hand during the confrontation with the missing-nin. The brothers coated their blades with poison so that even a tinny nick could kill. Poison entered Naruto's veins from the tiny cut and Team 7 had no antidote. The Demon Brothers most likely had the antidote on them. Instead of searching them, the blond simply took a kunai and jammed it into the wound to let the blood out with the poison.

The boy winced but let the blood flow freely. A second later, the wound sizzled and closed on its own. No one but Kakashi saw this because the Jonin had kept his eye on Naruto after his strange behavior.

Then the Copycat ninja understood. The demon inside Naruto, the Nine-tailed Fox, granted the Genin incredible healing powers. Naruto must have known this all along. That was why he didn't react to the Demon Brothers. The fear he did show was an act for the benefit of the other team members. _'I wonder, is your desire to become Hokage an act too?_' Kakashi pondered the question for the rest of the way. '_If so, then what are you really after?_'

Kakashi wanted to turn back then, the mission was no longer a C-Rank but the Genins voted to go forward with the mission. Kakashi agreed. When inevitability forces Naruto's true abilities out, Kakashi will be there to see it.

* * *

Kakashi did not wait long. Soon after the Demon Brother's ambush of Team 7, another ninja attacked them. The first attack nearly took off the heads of every member in the team. 

Naruto had chased after a white rabbit that hopped in front of them. When Kakashi saw a giant sword buzz through the air, he told everyone to get down. He didn't know if it was skill or pure luck but Naruto caught the rabbit and barely missed the massive buzz saw.

However, the Copycat ninja soon found his attention focused on the missing-nin who stood on the flat of the giant sword, which after it flew over their heads, had lodged itself in a tree trunk.

Kakashi could sense that this was no ordinary opponent. "Protect the bridge builder," he ordered his team without taking his eye off the missing-nin. As much as he wanted to see Naruto in action, the team came first. And because this was no ordinary ninja, Kakashi needed an advantage early. He revealed the Sharingan eye hidden under the Leaf Village headband.

"Sharingan Kakashi," Zabuza understood after he saw Kakashi's red iris.

Kakashi studied the missing-nin calmly. Only one description on the Leaf Village's wanted list matched this man. "And you must be Zabuza Momochi, the Demon in the Mist."

"I'm flattered that you know me. Out of respect, I will let you and the brats go if you give me the old man."

Kakashi shrugged. "Sorry, can't do that. But I will let you leave if you don't attack us again."

Zabuza grinned under his own mask, gray cloth instead of Kakashi's dark mask. "I see there is no reasoning with you." The missing-nin held up his hand and formed a seal. Instantly, the air thickened with moisture until a fog covered the entire area.

The thick mist even hindered the insight of the Sharingan eye.

* * *

The mist got thicker and thicker until Naruto lost sight of his sensei. He could still see Sasuke, Sakura's pink hair made her stood out while Tazuna's much taller frame was plainly visible. However, just a few feet further, Naruto saw nothing but whiteness. Then a creepy voice echoed all around, it come from every direction and nowhere. Faraway and near at the same time. 

"Eight points. Heart, liver, kidney, lungs…" Zabuza went on to describe all the ways he could kill them. When he was done, Sasuke was twitching and fumbling his kunai.

The fog suddenly cleared when a Chakra wind blew through the area. The thick fog parted and allowed Naruto a glimpse of Kakashi.

However, Kakashi's Chakra pushed Sasuke over the edge. The Uchiha tried to hold himself back but he raised his kunai and almost plunged it into himself so at least he would keep his sanity, if only in death.

"Sasuke, don't worry. I'll protect you, all of you. I don't leave my comrades behind." Sasuke calmed down after he heard Kakashi's speech but the Jonin suddenly got a shock when Zabuza appeared among his Genins and the bridge builder. Kakashi's Sharingan eyes met Zabuza's blank orbs.

"Too late,"

Naruto jumped away just in time. For some reason, Zabuza was off the mark and acted a moment later than he should. By the time Naruto recovered, he found Sakura and Sasuke in one piece while Kakashi had a kunai up Zabuza's gut.

This confused Naruto. "Water?" Instead of leaking blood, water was coming out of Zabuza's wound.

Zabuza appeared again, this time Naruto saw him attack from behind Kakashi. "Look out!" Naruto called out but the missing-nin had already unhooked the giant sword from his back harness.

Zabuza swung.

Naruto swallowed his fear. _'What's the matter? You scared?_' Sasuke's words from earlier ran through Naruto's mind the instant before Zabuza swung his giant blade. The blond was determined to show Sasuke was wrong about him. Acting out of recklessness, the blond summoned his Kage Bunshin.

In a puff of ninja smoke, the great sword of Zabuza came to a dead halt. Five Narutos appeared between him and Kakashi. The clones stopped the swing by parrying with their kunai along the length of Zabuza's sword. The combined strength of five hyperactive ninja had enough leverage to halt the attack in mid swing.

Zabuza's surprise lasted all but an instant before he tried to complete the cut with all his might. The huge man's muscles strained against the blonds who dug into the ground with their feet.

Naruto glared at the man and pushed back with everything he had. He could hear metal tearing as the high quality steel of Zabuza's blade cut into the kunai holding the great sword back. The clones pushed harder while their feet dug a trench into the dirt, forced back by Zabuza's overpowering strength.

"Thank you, Naruto. But I'll take it from here." Kakashi pulled out his kunai from the other Zabuza and watched it dissolve into water. He whipped around and pressed the sharp point of the weapon into the real Zabuza. "It's over." The Copycat ninja announced.

Zabuza let the giant sword tip over then let loose with a deep bellowed laugh. "No, Kakashi, it has just begun."

The original Naruto watched from the sidelines while his five clones stopped the second Zabuza. From above, Zabuza's sword descended near soundlessly. The blond had no warning, not even Kakashi caught Zabuza's movements before the giant sword was right above the blond.

But Sakura saw what it all and she let out a scream just before the blade would cleave Naruto into two. "Naruto!"

The blade came down. Flush and bones parted. The weight of Zabuza's sword split Naruto all the way down the middle.

Sakura screamed again and at the sight of her bisected comrade, she fainted.

Kakashi jabbed the kunai into the water clone's jugular. As the second clone of Zabuza dissolved into water, Kakashi faced the next Zabuza just when the two pieces of the hyperactive blond disappear into smoke.

"Well, I'll be damn." Zabuza stood up. "That was a clone."

"Ha, you thought I was too much of a coward to attack you up-front." The real Naruto boasted from behind Kakashi. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage of the Leaf Village. Remember it!"

Kakashi groaned while Zabuza just rolled his eye.

"Hay, Kakashi, is this kid serious?" Zabuza asked his opponent.

"I'm afraid so, he IS the number one most unpredictable ninja in the village."

"Number one loudmouth is more like it." Zabuza leveled his oversized blade at Kakashi.

"That too," Kakashi readied his kunai.

At some unspoken signal, the two ninja attacked. Zabuza came in with his great sword while Kakashi tugged and rolled under the horizontal slash. However, at the last possible moment, Zabuza reversed the path of the blade and brought it down on Kakashi's shoulder just as the Copycat ninja stabbed into Zabuza's kidney. Both Zabuza and Kakashi stared at each other then both collapsed and melded into a single puddle of water.

"What the…" Naruto couldn't believe his eyes. The man he risked his life for was just another clone.

"They were both water clones," Sasuke told Naruto offhandedly, as if he knew all along.

Naruto heard a loud clash of metal against metal and then Kakashi fell from above but amazingly landed on his feet. Zabuza fell too but landed gracefully on a small pond of water.

"I knew that," Naruto added stubbornly.

"Shut up, both of you," Kakashi ordered harshly. Then, the air thickened once again. He turned his attention back to Zabuza. "Don't you think this trick is getting a little old?" Kakashi taunted just as he lost sight of the missing-nin in the dense fog. Again, Kakashi gathered Chakra around him, creating a dense Chakra laden wind.

The fog parted under Kakashi's blue Chakra but the Copycat ninja got a surprise when he came face-to-face with a dragon. The dragon roared but Kakashi realized too late and the dragon made from water clashed into him before he could react. The force of the high-pressure water washed Kakashi away until stopped, painfully, by a tree.

Zabuza still stood in the same position on the pond. "You disappoint me, Sharingan Kakashi. You should know a ninja never shows the same trick twice."

The Copycat ninja was only half-conscious, his body wrecked with pain. "Take the bridge builder and get out of here," he ordered the Genins. He tried to stand, tried to use the tree as support but the sudden sharp pain told him the pressure from the water dragon broke his left tibia.

Instead, Naruto and his clones stood between Kakashi and Zabuza. "Those that leave their comrades behind are worse than trash. Isn't that right, Kakashi-sensei?"

Sasuke had the look of disgust mar his face. "Naruto…" his shaky hands managed a feeble defense while every fiber screamed at him to run.

"Sasuke, get ready with your shuriken," the determination in the blond's voice left no doubt.

Zabuza's glaze went from Kakashi to the Naruto clones. "Kid, I like you, now get lost but leave the old man. Hell, I'll even throw in your sensei for free."

"No way," Naruto declared. "I don't give up and I don't leave my comrades behind."

"If that is the way you want it." Zabuza began a serious of complicated seals at surprisingly fast speeds.

"Now Sasuke," Naruto shouted while Narutos rushed the missing-nin.

The Uchiha unfolded an oversized shuriken strapped to his back then spun it up to top speeds. Just as another water dragon formed from Zabuza's jutsu, Sasuke released the shuriken over the heads of the Narutos.

The shuriken out paced Naruto but Zabuza only needed one hand to keep up the water jutsu. The missing-nin's other hand went to his great sword and easily deflected the incoming shuriken. The shuriken ricocheted off the flat of Zabuza's sword and flew wildly off course and high up.

Zabuza commanded the water dragon to attack. The dragon coiled around the missing-nin then sprang forward like a viper toward Naruto. The water dragon washed away the clones on impact then headed for Sasuke who watched with wide eyes as the dragon approached too fast for him to dodge.

"…gather in my hand." From high above Zabuza, Naruto reappeared in the shadow of Sasuke's shuriken. He hung suspended, neither climbing nor falling for just an instant. "Take this!" The blond shouted on his way down. "Fireball!"

The swirling ball of fire shot down faster than Naruto could fall.

Zabuza only suffered a moment of utter surprise before the miniature sun detonated right on top of them. The shock wave from the explosion tore the water dragon apart and even reached as far as Sasuke. The explosion knocked Sasuke off his feet while water splashed his face from the destroyed dragon.

A moment later, Zabuza's flaming body send out a cloud of steam as it crashed into the water. He floated to the surface, burned and broken.

Sasuke could only gap at the destructive power of Naruto's jutsu. That single explosion blew off most of the water from the pond while it tore the nearest trees off their roots. Burning timber rained down as Naruto splash landed into the same pond as Zabuza.

"What kind of jutsu is this?" Sasuke had never heard of a fire jutsu that had this much explosive force. He resolved to ask Kakashi about it later.

* * *

Sasuke was the not only one amazed by Naruto's jutsu. 

While injured, Kakashi secretly hoped that Naruto would show his true power and save the team. Naruto did not disappoint. The Sharingan saw everything from the swirl of fire that gathered into Naruto's hand to the perfect sphere of plasma that blossomed, Kakashi caught every detail. It both impressed him and left him more curious than before.

"Was this the jutsu you planned to use in the Bell Exam?" Kakashi kept his thought hidden. It was good that he didn't find out the hard way as Zabuza did. Kakashi doubt he would fair any better.

Naruto crawled out of the pond, battered but with a smile plastered to his face. The blond surveyed the extent of the destruction. "Wow…" that was the adequate description. Then his eyes settled on Zabuza's broken body and Naruto quickly felt his stomach turn upside down. Naruto's stomach retched, unable to hold back he quickly unloaded the contents of his lunch.

Kakashi had no words of wisdom for the blond; everyone must come to terms with their duties as a ninja in their own way. The Jonin's eyes met Sasuke's and the two shared a thought and the agreement to talk about it later.

Tazuna finally stood up, the crotch of his trousers had a stain and not from all the water. "Hay, brat." The old man smiled at Naruto with both awe and a hint of fear. "I take back everything I said about you. You're one heck of a ninja."

Sakura finally woke up after all the action. She saw the destruction and Zabuza's body. Kakashi was down; Naruto looked roughed up, only Sasuke didn't have a scratch on him. Naturally, the pink haired kunoichi jumped to the conclusion that Sasuke had defeated Zabuza.

"Sasuke…" Her inner fan girl swooned and it showed.

The Uchiha just glared at her. "Che," he snubbed her and set his eyes on Naruto.

"Guys, how about some help here?" Kakashi finally spoke up. The scene between Sakura and Sasuke then Sasuke and Naruto amused him greatly but he was also in great pain.

* * *

Sakura had patched Kakashi up with an improvised splint. Naruto bugged her through the entire process while Sasuke did his best looking uninterested. 

"Hay, hay, did you see it, Sakura? Did you see my super cool jutsu?"

"Stop it Naruto. Just stop it. You're not fooling anyone. That was Sasuke and you know it."

"But…" Sakura nailed Naruto across the skull. "I said. GIVE. IT. UP." She breathed fire at the mere thought that Naruto would dare steel her Sasuke's glory. When Sasuke said nothing in his own defense the Haruno girl looked to the dark haired boy for confirmation. "Tell him, Sasuke. Tell him how you beat that creep up is YOUR cool jutsu."

Sasuke said nothing but Kakashi had something for the kunoichi. "That's enough, Sakura. It was Naruto that defeated Zabuza."

Sakura's jaw hit the floor.

"That's right," Tazuna, their client, agreed. "The kid kicked ass."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "By the way, what do you call that jutsu?"

Naruto beamed as he rubbed his upper lip in a very Naruto-ish manner.

Meanwhile, Sasuke listened to every word while he appeared uninterested.

"That was my Fireball," the blond boasted.

"That's a strange name for a jutsu." Kakashi commented. "It's _englo_ isn't it?"

Naruto shrugged, he honestly never thought about it.

"Well, no matter. Why don't you fish Zabuza body out of the water, Naruto. I'm sure there's a large bounty you can collect once you take it back to the Leaf." More than that, Zabuza had originally defected from the Hidden Mist. An autopsy would reveal many Mist Village secrets and possibly shed some light on Naruto's strange jutsu.

"Eh… sensei, what happened to Zabuza's body?"

Zabuza was gone.

* * *

To be continued… 

Next up: Wrath of the Hyoton, Haku attacks Team 7.

1 – This is a reference to the scene in the Prologue where Naruto walks from his apartment to the forest. There was some ambiguity as to the motives behind the old lady and the falling teakettle. I hope this clear everything up as at no time was Naruto actually abused by the villagers. If he had, he couldn't simply have told Zelgadis that they looked at him with "cold eyes".

2 – Reference to the falling teakettle from the Prologue

Desperately seeking beta


	5. Omake 2

Hurricane Magic

Omake #2

By Oberon

* * *

"Now Sasuke," Naruto shouted while Narutos rushed the missing-nin. 

The Uchiha unfolded an oversized shuriken strapped to his back then spun it up to top speeds. Just as another water dragon formed from Zabuza's jutsu, Sasuke released the shuriken over the heads of the Narutos.

The shuriken out paced Naruto but Zabuza only needed one hand to keep up the water jutsu. The missing-nin's other hand went to his great sword and easily deflected the incoming shuriken. The shuriken ricocheted off the flat of Zabuza's sword and flew wildly off course and high up.

Zabuza commanded the water dragon to attack. The dragon coiled around the missing-nin then sprang forward like a viper toward Naruto. The water dragon washed away the clones on impact then headed for Sasuke who watched with wide eyes as the dragon approached too fast for him to dodge.

"…by the power you and I possess." From high above Zabuza, Naruto reappeared in the shadow of Sasuke's shuriken. He hung suspended, neither climbing nor falling for just an instant. "Take this!" The blond shouted on his way down. "Dragon Slave!"

The perfect sphere of destruction consumed everything but its creator.

"That was so COOL!"

Naruto survey the crater left by the explosion. Soon to be jutsu feared across the lands.

"Eh… no wonder Xellos-sensei never showed me what this jutsu did."

This is what happens when Naruto found Xellos instead of Zelgadis.


	6. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto™ or its respective characters. All use of said material and situation is without permission or profit. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto. I don't own Slayers or its respective characters. All use of said materials and situations are without permission or profit. Slayers™ is the property of Hajime Kanzaka.

Yojimbo: Many thanks for the great Beta.

**Enjoy, and please review. **

The disappearance of Zabuza's body had left Kakashi with more questions. Inevitably, he returned to the same answer. Zabuza must have an accomplice, someone that cared about him enough to recover his body. Knowing that, Kakashi figured it would only be a matter of time before they would face another enemy. This time, it would be an enemy seeking revenge.

"Aww man," Naruto complained loudly. "I can't believe someone stole my bounty." He kept searching the pond where Zabuza once was, hoping the missing-nin was drifting somewhere out of sight.

Sasuke glared at the blond. "Shut up, you idiot, and help me with carrying Kakashi."

The team had improvised a set of crutches from the fallen branches. They held up Kakashi's weight for the most part but the jonin still needed at least two people to steady him.

"But I beat Zabuza. Don't I deserve a little break?" Naruto asked innocently.

"No!" Sasuke, Sakura and even Kakashi answered in unison.

* * *

Hurricane Magic 

Chapter 3

By Oberon

* * *

Tazuna's home had all the amenities of a roadside shack plus a few extras. That is to say, the family lived in poverty compared with Naruto's rundown apartment back in the Leaf Village. 

"It's not much," Tazuna explained as he showed Team 7 into the two-story house. "But with our economy the way it is, it is a wonder that my daughter had been able to keep the roof from caving in."

A young woman with dark hair greeted them at the door.

"Father, you made it!" The young woman hugged Tazuna.

"Speaking of which, this is Tsunami, my daughter."

The woman bowed to the team. "Nice to meet you," then she saw Kakashi's condition and without another thought she quickly rushed them inside.

"Oh my, what happened?" She questioned the Copycat Ninja with genuine concern.

"It is nothing... we were attacked by someone hired to kill your father." Kakashi explained but saw the worry in Tsunami's eyes. "I got careless and underestimated him. My team took care of him, however, in my condition we wouldn't be able to fight off a second attempt."

"Let them come," Naruto boasted. "I'll kick all their asses." Then the blond gave Sakura a foxy smile.

Sakura groaned as did Kakashi.

Tazuna nodded. "The kid's good, I can tell you that much." His compliment inflated Naruto's ego even more.

"Nonetheless, they are still inexperienced. If they attack now and in force, I'm not sure we can hold out." Kakashi noticed that Sasuke pretended very hard to ignore the conversation. Naruto's earlier demonstration probably still miffed the Uchiha. Kakashi figured they'd need that talk very soon.

Kakashi really worried Tsunami now. "Oh my, I should go get the village doctor. I bet she can do something about that leg."

"Go," Tazuna, told her. "But don't let anyone else know what you just heard."

"Meh, let's not be so hasty. If our enemy sees me with the doctor they will attack immediately." Right now, their opponent stayed away because they didn't know Kakashi's condition. They would not want to fight Kakashi and Naruto's jutsu at the same time. If whoever took Zabuza's body ever got a hint of Kakashi's weakness, however, he or she would no longer hesitate. "Besides, even a skilled physician couldn't speed up the bone mending process."

"I don't know . . ." Naruto, piped in. "I've seen some crazy jutsu before that can patch you up quick." Naruto remembered the time Zelgadis-sensei healed himself with that healing jutsu. They could use something like that now. He'll kick the bad guy's ass regardless, so no big deal, Naruto figured.

Tsunami nodded as Naruto spoke. "That's right... our doctor is known for performing great miracles. Why, just the other day, Juro fell from the bridge and broke both his arms and legs but she fixed him up in no time at all."

That got Kakashi attention. "A medical ninja," the Jonin thought aloud. A skilled medical ninja at that, Kakashi figured based on Tsunami's description. At the same time, Kakashi also became suspicious about why a medical ninja would be doing in the Land of Waves.

"Eh . . . what's that?" Naruto blurted out.

"Naruto, you idiot," Sakura scowled at her teammate's ignorance. "Listen to Beautiful Young Kunoichi Sakura's explanation of Medical Ninja. Medical ninja specialize in the art of healing using medical-ninjutsu. You probably saw them around the infirmary?"

Naruto returned a blank look and then a light lit up somewhere. "Oh, you mean leeches. But I thought they just suck your blood and steel your soul?"

"What?" Somehow, Naruto gave everyone an eye twitch condition.

"You mean that's NOT what they do?" Everyone including Tazuna and Tsunami shock their heads at that.

Kakashi sighed. "Meh, Naruto, don't you think you're taking this a little too far?"

Naruto snapped. "Damn it! I knew I should've stopped listening to that crazy old lady when she told me garden gnomes ate her cat. Or the time she told me the answer to the ultimate question was 42."

Kakashi's eye twitched once followed by Sakura. "Anyway," the kunoichi continued. "One of the legendary kunoichi in the Leaf is said to be the greatest medical ninja there is. My all-time favorite hero, Lady Tsunade." Sakura stood proudly as she gave her little history lesson. She gave a little bow afterwards and received applause from Naruto.

"Thank you, Sakura." Kakashi said politely. He then turned to Tsunami and explained why they shouldn't seek help from the doctor. "If she is a medical ninja, then that just makes her more dangerous. She could be a missing-nin and as such, would not hesitate to sell us out." Traditionally, the only true enemies of a ninja are ninja. Since Kakashi strongly suspected the doctor was actually a Medical Ninja, the risk associated with this doctor greatly out weighted any possible gain.

"So, another words, you want us to wait for them to attack us." Sasuke almost sneered but was too cool for such lowly expressions. He came off as snobbish.

"Not at all, Sasuke," Kakashi answered as if he did not notice Sasuke's emo routine.

"While we're waiting, the three of you will undergo training and take turns guarding Tazuna."

"Training?" A foreign thought to Sakura for Kakashi had never taught Team7 anything in the five months they were together. "Really, sensei?"

"Hey, you're not just saying that are you?" Naruto spied Kakashi lamely while he poked Kakashi's leg with a finger.

"Why, Naruto, I thought you would be excited." Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Yeah, well, it's just that you were supposed to be our sensei and all but you never taught us anything before." Sakura nodded to Naruto's words and even Sasuke silently agreed, though the Uchiha acted like he did not care.

Tsunami was confused while Tazuna returned with sake.

"Hey, didn't you teach him that Fireball-thing?" Tazuna blurted out while he sipped from the sake.

Instantly, Sasuke glared at the bridge builder then his sight narrowed at Kakashi. The Uchiha held the purest expression of betray and hatred on his face.

Kakashi waved and dismissed everyone casually. "Maa, maa, I taught you bunch the importance of teamwork."

"But what about all those cool jutsus you know?" Naruto mouthed off loudly.

"Maybe later."

"Yeah, right, if pigs can fly." Naruto thought silently, unaware that both Sakura and Susuke mirrored the same thought.

* * *

For Sasuke, the previous two days of training only caused him more frustration. The Tree Walking exercise, as taught by Kakashi, required the use of Chakra to attach a person to a surface by the sols of their feet. Too much Chakra and the person will repel the surface - a tree trunk in this case. Too little Chakra and the person will slip off. 

On the second night, Sasuke had finally reached the top of the tree and Naruto was right there. The two boys stared uncomfortably at each other then Sasuke's eyes rolled back and he fell off the tree. A moment later, Naruto followed Sasuke's example. Both boys hit the ground, completely exhausted.

About an hour later, Naruto's incredible stamina recovery allowed the blond a return to consciousness. Though still weak, Naruto nonetheless managed a halfhearted gloat over the still unconscious Sasuke. He dragged Sasuke back to Tazuna's house where the two boys fell into a deep slumber.

The next morning, Sasuke finally found Kakashi alone while the blond recovered earlier and disappeared before Sasuke woke up.

When Sasuke approached Kakashi, the look in the Uchiha's eyes told the jonin the time for their talk had come.

"Follow me," Kakashi left Tazuna's home while Tsunami prepared breakfast.

Sasuke followed his sensei to a secluded area in the woods but when they got there, he said nothing. The Uchiha held his usual stoic expression and waited for Kakashi to start things off.

"Well, aren't you going to ask me about Naruto?"

"Che," Sasuke played it cool, like Naruto was not the first thing on his mind. "Why would I care about that loser?"

"If that's the case, then we really have nothing to say." Kakashi acted liked he would walk away.

"Train me," Sasuke demanded.

Kakashi grinned. "I'm sorry, Sasuke, but now is not the right time."

"You had time enough to train Naruto it seemed."

"Ah, yes, Naruto." Kakashi knew that all along Sasuke had lied. Naruto, apparently, had intrigued Sasuke as well.

When the Copycat ninja said nothing, he suffered a vicious scowl from his student. Then again, perhaps envy drove the Uchiha and not curiosity.

"I'm afraid I never taught Naruto that jutsu."

Kakashi's words came as a serious blow to Sasuke's ego. How could an idiot know a jutsu like that when, he, a genius did not. To add insult to injury, the jutsu Naruto had used was fire based when the entire ninja world knew the Uchihas specialized in the use of katon-jutsu. Naruto's jutsu was like spiting in the face of the entire Uchiha clan and especially Sasuke's pride.

"You saw it with the Sharingan," Sasuke stated more as fact than question. He had seen Kakashi reveal the Sharingan under his Leaf Headband before Naruto's use of his jutsu.

Kakashi nodded. "I did," he almost taunted but did not reveal what he saw.

"Teach me," Sasuke once again demanded. "Teach me that jutsu."

Kakashi sighed... he should have known it would come to this. Honestly, he thought Sasuke would care a little more about such things as friendship and loyalty.

"Hmm. . . you didn't see it did you?"

"See what?" Sasuke asked harshly, a bit more than annoyed at Kakashi.

"That Naruto's jutsu didn't use any hand seals."

Sasuke tried to deny it... he tried to reimagine the scene from memory. "Not possible, there is just no way a guy like that. . ."

"Do you now see how special that jutsu was?" Kakashi explained. "Not even the Sharingan, with its ability to understand and copy ninjutsu, can recreate what Naruto did."

"Something not even the Sharingan can copy. . ." speechless, Sasuke just stared blankly at Kakashi.

"Don't be surprised. There are many techniques the Sharingan can't see through." Kakashi went on. "But that's not what made his technique so special."

". . ."

"Tell me, Sasuke, what happens just right before you release a fire-based jutsu?" Kakashi asked knowing that Sasuke could answer the question, he had after all, seen the Uchiha use a Goukakyuu no Jutsu during the bell test.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Sasuke snared. Kakashi continued to annoy him with his games.

"Trust me, this is very important." Kakashi voice held hint of seriousness but the rest was his usual playfulness.

The Uchiha huffed. "Fine, just before you release a katon-jutsu, one usually premixes the Chakra with air in the lungs. Once you expel the Chakra through the mouth, the air ignites." Sasuke glared at the Jonin with an expression that said 'there, you happy?'

Kakashi nodded. "To an opponent, the sudden intake of air acts as a 'tell' that hints a katon-jutsu will be used. This gives the enemy time to prepare a counter. Mind you, it is only a fraction of a second, but to a skilled shinobi that is enough." Indeed, this was true for all katon-jutsus. Something that Sasuke should know already. "However, did you notice that Naruto handled the Fireball with his hands?"

The revelation suddenly sunk in for Sasuke.

"It is a very impressive jutsu indeed," Kakashi continued. "Naruto has found a way around the only real weakness to katon-jutsu. Being seal-less and Sharingan-proof only makes it that much more unpredictable." However, there still existed one other aspect that Kakashi had observed from Naruto's technique. The one detail that made Fireball decided superior to almost all known katon-jutsu.

"Che," Sasuke flipped his hair at Kakashi. "The Sharingan doesn't work as well for someone without Uchiha blood."

Kakashi said nothing until he fixed his one eye on the Uchiha. "You know, Sasuke, it wouldn't hurt to have just a little concern for your teammates. After all, you aren't the only special person here. You and Naruto could probably learn a lot from each other."

The Uchiha fumed with hatred. "I'm more special than THAT dead last. I have to be, to kill Him."

"Well, it was only a suggestion. . ."

Kakashi decided things should be left at that, if he pushed further he'd lose all rapport with his student.

* * *

**Meanwhile... **

Naruto laid half conscious on the forest floor completely exhausted. The only evidence that he still lived was the periodic movement of his chest and the foxy grin plastered to his face, a face of content and bliss. A sudden disturbance scared a flock of birds into flight and Naruto's eyes snapped open.

"Hey, did I scare you?" The first thing Naruto saw was the retreating form of a young girl with long raven locks dressed in a summer kimono. The person scurried away like a frightened and startled squirrel when Naruto suddenly woke up.

"No-no, I-I was just checking to see if you're alright." The girl trembled as she spoke but steadied herself as time went on. "It's not safe sleeping in the forest. You can catch a cold." She kept her left hand hidden behind the kimono but Naruto didn't notice.

"Ah, that's alright. I was just training?" The blond winked a cocky smile.

Her eyes lingered on Naruto's headband.

"Training? Are you a ninja?" She asked innocently but at the same time she gripped onto something behind her so hard that her left hand became bone white.

"Yup," Naruto boasted then pointed to the Leaf symbol on the headband. "It looks good on me, don't you think?" By now, even Naruto noticed some was off. The slight tremble and slight sneer of the girl's lips gave it away. "Hey, is there anything wrong?" However, Naruto still had no clue as to what was wrong.

"No-no, nothing is wrong." The girl answered quickly while she stuttered from nervousness. "I was just wondering why you were training? You're already really strong, are you not?"

"Kinda. But I gotta train if I'm going to get even stronger."

The girl's mood changed completely at that. Her head dipped, her body stopped trembling as she got all quiet. "Real strength only comes from protecting those precious to you," she said darkly with downcast eyes.

"Protecting those precious to you?" Naruto repeated these thoughtful words.

"Do you have anyone precious to you?" The girl asked and Naruto still couldn't see her face, not even the barest hint of a smile that curled around her lips.

Suddenly, it was Naruto's turn to be nervous. He twirled his fingers, poking his index fingers together. "Well. . . There's this one girl on my team. I really like her, I just got to beat Sasuke-bastard's ass first."

"I see," the girl stood up. "It was nice meeting you today." She smiled and met the blond's blue eyes. "Let's meet again."

Naruto gave her the thumb-up. "OK," he promised. His thoughts quickly returned to Sakura then went to Iruka-sensei and finally to Zelgadis-sensei. These three people were most precious to him. Iruka recognized him when no one else would. Zelgadis-sensei was like the big brother he always wanted. Sakura, he had a crush on since forever. Would protecting them truly make him strong? How does this power compare with the strength of his dream, to the strength of the Hokage? These questions occupied his mind and he did not notice when Haku left him.

Haku disappeared back into the forest and left behind two words silently muttered under seething hatred. "Naruto Uzumaki . . ." The corner of Haku's lips curled into a sinister smile. His left hand suddenly shot out, impaling a white hare returning to its master with a kunai.

* * *

An hour after training in the forest and his meeting with the girl in the kimono, Naruto returned for Tazuna. The blond made it to the doorsteps just in time for breakfast with the entire Team plus Tazuna's family. His seat by the table was left empty where a plate already awaited him. 

Tazuna welcomed him. "Hey, kid, you're with me today." He smiled broadly.

"Oh, it's my turn today. Isn't it?" Naruto said through the piece of fish Tsunami left for him. Kakashi had assigned guard duties to each member for different days of the weak. Sakura's turn was yesterday, Tazuna was Naruto responsibility for today just as he will be Sasuke's responsibility for tomorrow.

Naruto finally noticed Sasuke's harsher than his usual glare.

"Oi, what's your problem bastard?" The blond glared back at the Uchiha.

Sasuke said nothing and just flipped his hair at the blond then walked out.

"Damn it, Naruto. Why do you always have to do this?" Sakura slammed her chopsticks down, stood up and chased after the raven haired boy.

"What did I do?" The blond whined loudly.

"It's nothing, Naruto." Kakashi said calmly. "Sasuke just has some personal issues he needs to work through."

They ate quietly afterwards until Tsunami took away their plates. Then it was time Tazuna left for the construction site, which meant Naruto went with him.

"You know, kid, I feel a lot safer with you than with those other two." Tazuna told Naruto on their way to the bridge. "Don't tell them I said that though. That Sasuke seems like the jealous type."

Naruto beamed. "Hehe, just you wait. I'm going to be the best damn ninja there is so Sasuke can just kiss my ass."

They arrived at the unfinished bridge just as the workers began to clock in. Naruto followed Tazuna around for most of the morning, watching the older man direct the villagers.

Soon, however, word reached the pair of trouble at the pier.

"Tazuna, Gato and his men are here." A panic-stricken construction worker hurried reported then ran off.

Naruto looked embarrassed. "Who the hell is Gato again? And why are you guys so afraid of him?"

Tazuna sighed. He knew the genin had the habit of laying it on thick with the idiocy act but this was beyond annoying. "Gato is the bastard shipping magnate whose company has monopolized the ship routes around the Land of Waves. His use underhanded methods and intimidation tactics isolated this country and drove our people into poverty." Tazuna explained, he clearly remembered talking about this after the attack by the Demon Brothers.

"Well, well, well, Tazuna you piece of shit. I warned you not to build this thing but what did you do?" Gato and his men arrived and at the sight of the 20 men strong entourage, the workers panicked. "I offered you my goodwill and you spit in my face. Now you even bring ninja into this. I fucking hate ninja!"

One of the construction workers came up behind Tazuna. "Hey, I just remembered today's my wife's birthday. Sorry, gotta take off a little early."

"Wait," Tazuna tried to stop him but that man was but the first.

"Eh, yeah, I think I left the stove on this morning. Gotta go check, don't want to burn the house down on something."

The construction workers scurried passed Gato and his men. The few that got too close received a beating from the rough looking thugs. Only Tazuna and Naruto held their ground.

"Cowards..." Tazuna said darkly. "We got Naruto here. There's nothing to be afraid of," he tried to call them back to no avail.

"You mean that little runt next to you is supposed to scare us off?" One of the thugs snorted loudly. That got a laugh from the others.

"Enough," Gato silenced his mercenaries. "Tazuna, you have been a thorn at my side long enough. When I'm through with you, there wouldn't be enough of you for a burial. Get him boys, and whoever brings me the head of the ninja gets a special bonus"

Naruto stood between the band of hired thugs and their target. "Hey, don't worry." He smirked confidently at the old man. "I'm not going to let them lay a hand on you." Tazuna was the first-ever person who acknowledged him and Naruto swore he wouldn't let the old man down. The blond brought his hands together to form the seal for the Kage Bunshin. Chakra gathered around Naruto as the blond charged up the jutsu. Just as Naruto prepared to execute the Kage Bunshin at the apex of the gathering Chakra, a loud female voice bloomed from overhead.

"Fiends and villains," the voice declared. "You who mercilessly oppress the weak and take from others what they rightfully deserve just so you can fatten your wallet," Naruto tracked the speaker to the top of the bridge signpost. Suddenly, the sky darkened and lightning flashed even though the weather forecast called for clear sailing until next week. "In other words you are absolutely, positively evil!" The light from the thunder revealed a figure whose cape fluttered in the sudden storm. "In the name of Love, Truth, and free trade, leave now and change your ways." Thunder rolled once more, this time, striking the sea and sending an explosion of water crashing against the bridge. "Obey me or face the Hammer of Justice!"

"Miss Amelia, don't!" Tazuna was too late. Amelia leaped off the signpost just as Tazuna shouted in panic. The girl in the cape flipped in midair and promptly fell straight down, only her face broke her fall.

"Who the hell is that?" Naruto shouted in disbelieve. The girl in the white getup and cape had her face planted firmly in the ground. Her shiny dark hair fluttered slightly by the ocean winds but not even the fall ruffled the pink trims of her white tunic.

But Amelia bounced back like nothing happened. Her large dark blue eyes burned with the furry of justice and determination.

"This is your last chance, repent or the justice of Heaven will show you no mercy." The jawbreaker-sized balls around her wrists made her threat seemed completely ridiculous coming from a schoolgirl with such childish jewelry.

Naruto's jaw hit the floor.

Gato and his men backed away from the crazy girl just a little. Some jaws hung so low that someone could drive a cart through.

Gato regained their composure. "Get her," the magnate ordered.

A phalanx of Gato's hired help advanced on Amelia with their katana drawn. They gave off a battle cry followed by a scream of agony.

"Digger Bolt!" Amelia thrust out her hand at the attackers and her fingers glowed for an instant when lightning rose from the ground, the first group of thugs withered and fell from the onslaught of current. When the spell ended, their groaning and smoking bodies were no longer recognizable under the full body 3rd degree burns.

Naruto was awestruck. "That-that was so COOL!"

"Justice triumphs once again!" Amelia declared with one foot on the pile of squirming bodies.

The remaining thugs shrugged further away from the crazy girl in the cape. But Gato was not easily intimidated, especially when he still had cannon fodder left. "What are you doing?" The tycoon's anger flushed his face. "That just means more money for the rest of you."

Gato's words bolstered his man's courage or simply overrode their fear with greed. Whatever the case, a group of thugs jumped at Amelia with the intent of impaling her with their blades.

"Ahhh!!!" Their battle cries sounded before their blades met their target.

Amelia held her ground without a hint of fear. She cupped her hands together.

"Burst Rondo!" Spheres of fire shot at the group of evil minions like the spray of a shotgun. When the spheres met skin, they burst into flames that quickly consumed the villains long before they reached Amelia.

The second group of thugs stood as much chance as the first group, that is to say, not very much. Their charred and twitching bodies added to the mass of defeated minions already under Amelia's boot of righteous justice.

"Well, I'll be..." Tazuna mused. "If I had known Ms. Amelia could beat-up Gato and his men so easily I would've spent more money on sake and less hiring ninja from the Leaf."

Naruto eyed Tazuna sheepishly and nudged him with his elbow. "Pst. It's not nice to say that when I'M STANDING RIGHT HERE!" The hyperactive blond shouted the last part.

Embarrassed, Tazuna quickly apologized. "Not that you're not a great ninja." Tazuna smiled then laughed nervously.

The ten remaining henchmen finally broke after the latest casual slaughter. They ran from the crazy girl, fearful of their lives even as Gato's angry cries threatened them with punishment.

But Amelia wouldn't let them off so easily. "You cannot escape the long reach of justice." The raven-haired girl drew a circle in the air with her index finger. At the same time, a tongue of flame appeared in the fleeing men's path then encircled them following the motion of Amelia's finger.

The men came to a full stop, fear evident on their faces.

Then Amelia finished drawing the circle with her finger. "Burst flare" At Amelia's command, the tongue of flame became a white-hot ball of fire that consumed the mercenaries. The ball erupted into a pillar of fire that quickly died down. The charred men in the spell stood unmoving for just an instant before gravity took over. They fell as limps... some still had one leg in the air - caught in the middle of their next step.

Amelia spared Gato for last. The overweight merchant scrambled and tripped over his own feet. "No-no, stay away from me." Gato scurried further from the crazy sorceress completely given into fear at this point.

In an instant, Amelia's fist met Gato's face numerous times. Each hit, each impact of Amelia's fist glowed with the light of righteousness.

"Wow, she's even scarier than Sakura when she's mad," Naruto winced and genuinely felt sorry for the maimed merchant.

Tazuna could only nod with numbness and incomprehension. The bridge builder knew one thing though... Gato was finished.

Amelia stood victorious over the battered and barely conscious merchant. Her fingers posed V for victory.

"Alright, Mr. Gato, you got three choices." Amelia held up three fingers to the defeated merchant. "One, you can be punished by me."

"No-no, anything but that!" Gato pleaded.

"Two, you can be punished by the villagers." The crazy sorceress counted off a second time so she only held one more finger up to Gato.

Villagers that Amelia had rounded up on her justice march had spread the word quickly after Gato's defeat. They hid during the fighting but now stepped out into the open and joined with other villagers who carried very sharp instruments. The merchant swallowed nervously. "Three, I get punished by all of you?" He said weakly.

The crazy girl nodded seriously, her eyes burned with the righteousness of the heavens.

"Mama..."

The beating was quick and dirty. All the villagers joined, even the woman and children got a few licks in. When they were through, Gato was nothing more than a stringed up bruise dangling from the bridge signpost. Amelia once again stood atop the signpost from which the villagers hung Gato. As dusk approached Gato and the Land of Waves, Amelia addressed all that assembled here, which included all the workers that fled from the scene hours before.

"People of the Land of Waves, your love of justice has freed you from the bonds of tyranny at last."

Naruto stared at Amelia in awe. "Wow, maybe I should learn to give spiffy speeches like that."

"Remember this day, for today you are all the champions of justice!" Amelia pointed to the empty sky.

The crowd cheered, their pitchforks raised high in victory.

As Amelia neared the end of her speech, she somehow slipped and fell off the signpost.

"Ouyee. . ." she landed on her face again.

No one noticed however, as the entire village brought out their finest sake and partied like there was no tomorrow.

Tsunami squeezed her way through the crowd just as the music and dancing began. By the time she found Naruto next to her father, Tsunami was near panic. She quickly pulled Naruto and Tazuna aside. "Naruto, come quickly. Something happened to your team."

* * *

**Earlier that day... **

Sasuke stormed out of Tazuna's house, a foul mood radiated from him so repulsive that even poor Tsunami got out of his way with just a glare.

Sakura, though, had followed the Uchiha into the forest. "Sasuke, wait for me." The kunoichi called out with all the sense of a lost puppy.

But the raven haired boy spared her no such consideration. He headed deeper into the forest, back to the training grounds where Team7 learned the Tree Walking technique. Eventually, Saskura caught up with him near the spot where Sasuke and Naruto competed to see who would reach the top first.

"Can you believe that Naruto?" Sakura bitched with haggard breath, slightly winded from following Sasuke's hurried pace. "I mean, how dare he act like that?"

Sasuke glared at Sakura. "You're annoying," his words were low and harsh. He delivered it with a sharp edge and true annoyance because Sakura just couldn't take the hint. He wanted everyone to leave him alone.

"Sasuke. . ." the kunoichi backed away, she wanted to cry and would have too if Sasuke wasn't there. 'You're annoying' she had called Naruto that and now Sasuke turned it around.

"I-I'm sorry," Sakura, not knowing how long she could hold back the tears, turned and ran, while Sasuke looked on dispassionately. With an annoyed snort he turned on his heel, continuing his way into the forest and thankful for some brooding alone time.

Soon, though, a scream from Sakura's direction distracted Sasuke from his brooding. "That was Sakura," the Uchiha looked to that direction. A raised eyebrow broke the Ucihas face as he sensed a way to prove his prowess. "This may even be worth the time just to see the look on that dead last's face."

Sasuke ran toward the direction where he heard Sakura's scream, it soon occurred to him that something was very wrong. He stepped on a puddle of water in the middle of the forest. In fact, the humidity seemed too high for the weather they had experienced in the last few days, already Sasuke had sweat covered him from just a few minutes of exertion.

He found Sakura unconscious but the Uchiha did not approach the kunoichi immediately. Instead, he closed in cautiously until he was certain this the mass of pink hair was his teammate.

Before Sasuke reached the kunoichi a thick layer of fog suddenly rolled through the forest, surrounding the Uchiha and obscuring his vision. In a matter of seconds, the fog grew so dense that Sasuke lost sight of the kunoichi even though she lay but a few feet away.

Sasuke pushed down the raising panic. On the surface, he stood calm and collected, ready for anything. He had seen this technique before. The missing-nin Zabuza Monochi had used water from a pond and created an impenetrable vale of fog that even defeated the Sharingan eye. But Zabuza was unlikely culprit as the Uchiha had seen Zabuza's body. That only meant he now faced Zabuza's accomplice, the one that stole the missing-nin's body from right under Team 7's nose.

Something moved in the fog, fast and silent. Sasuke tensed.

* * *

At last, Sasuke could see again. It happened suddenly when several senbon needles pierced his unprotected side. At first, he only saw the needles' path, saw the disturbance in the fog created by the turbulence as the needles sliced through air. He felt the pain of the sharp needles dangerously close to a vital organ. He would surely perish had he moved but a fraction of an inch. Then suddenly he could see everything, even through the fog. That could only mean. 

"A Genjutsu," this was not the Kirigakure no Jutsu used by Zabuza. The only reason the Sharingan, if he in fact activated that hidden bloodline limit, could pierce the fog was if it was an illusion.

"I see you have a bloodline too. The Sharingan eye, too bad it didn't do you much good. It's useless if you body can't keep up." A boy, no older than Sasuke, stood before the Uchiha, just out of Sasuke's reach. He wore a mask, a hunter's mask from the Village of the Hidden Mist. Raven black hair held in a tight bun on an almost feminine figure but the way the muscles moved underneath the clothing told Sasuke this was a guy.

"Damn you," the Uchiha growled, he tried to get up, to smash in the other boy's face but Sasuke's legs gave out from under him.

"I have severed your ligaments. If you're lucky you would still be able to walk but your life as a ninja is over."

"I'll kill you, I swear." Sasuke exploded but he was powerless. He had finally gained the power of the Sharingan but lost all hope of fulfilling his ambition.

"Safe your breath, I spared your life so you can deliver a message to your sensei." The boy held up a dangerous senbon for Sasuke to see. "Of course it'll have the same effect if I just send back your head." He cocked back the hand with the senbon, ready to release the needle at a vital area on an immobilized Sasuke.

". . ." He must stay alive... stay alive to kill THAT man.

Haku smiled from behind his mask. "Good boy, now listen. Tell Kakashi to meet me here alone if he wants to see pinky alive."

"You did all this just to get Kakashi?"

"Shut up Uchiha, that's none of your business." Haku's hand suddenly snapped forward. Sasuke saw this action an instants before and moved to protect his crouch. However, at the last moment, the senbon veered down and impaled the ground just an inch from the Uchiha family jewels. "Now crawl, little boy, crawl back to your sensei."

* * *

Sakura struggled against her bonds but they would not yield. "What did you do to my Sasuke?" 

"I would be more worried about your self," The ninja that attacked them stared back at her through a transparent Plexiglas panel just beyond Sakura's reach.

"What-what do you plan to do to me?" Weakly, Sakura continued to struggle but the heavy iron changes weighted down her limbs. Around her, the dank prison enclosed the kunoichi like a metal coffin. Every sound she made echoed back at her but only more sinister.

"When I leave, this tank will slowly fill with water. You'll have about an hour before you drown. That is, of course, if you stand real straight."

Sakura felt the ninja's smirk underneath his mask as he walked away. Then she heard rusty gears above her head turn, their loud grating clanks boomed in her ears then cold water dripped over her, slowly at first but became a downpour.

"Sasuke, help me!" She shouted but the only the despair of her own echo answered.

* * *

**Tazuna Residence **

When Naruto ran back to Tazuna's house, he found Sasuke laid on a futon with legs wrapped in bandages. The Uchiha glared as the boy ran up the stairs, their eyes met and immediately Naruto felt the resentment in Sasuke's glaze.

"Kakashi-sensie, what happened?" The bond's eyes lingered on Sasuke's injured limbs.

"Sasuke and Sakura were ambushed in the forest," Kakashi finished the last knot on Sasuke's bindings. "Sasuke was injured and Sakura has been taken hostage."

"Sakura . . ." Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's again but Uchiha turned away and wouldn't let Naruto see the slight hint of shame on the Uchiha features. Naruto jumped to his feet.

"What the hell are we waiting for? Let's go get Sakura back and beat-up whoever took her!"

"Naruto, wait." Kakashi held the blond back before he could rush off.

Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks as he remembered he couldn't just rush off half-cocked. "Oh yeah, almost forgot," his face flushed with embarrassment.

Kakashi nodded approvingly. "I see the academy training wasn't all wasted. A shinobi should never charge in . . ."

"Oi, Sasuke, where's this bastard hiding at?"

The Jonin nearly fell over but settled for a groan. "As much as I enjoy your amusing antics, don't you think now would be a good time to start acting serious?"

Naruto shrugged. "What are you talking about sensei? I am serious."

"Anyway, Naruto, you stay here with Sasuke." Kakashi stood up slowly, mindful of the partially healed left leg that Zabuza's Suiryudan no Jutsu broke during their last confrontation. That water dragon Zabuza created easily snapped Kakashi's leg when he caught the Copycat ninja off guard.

Naruto saw this too. "Sensei, what about your leg?" The blond pointed out.

Kakashi discarded the crutches. The healed tibia held under his weight but it will slow him down in a fight. However, fighting wasn't part of Kakashi's plan.

"Listen, the enemy wants me to go alone which means it's probably a diversion."

"A diversion?"

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, most likely they will attack while I'm on my way to Sakura. Based on Sasuke's description I can say that we are only dealing with one ninja. That means once I get there, he would have laid traps designed to slow my progress. Knowing that, I can rescue Sakura quickly then rush back, catching the enemy from two fronts."

"So I just got to protect Sasuke-bastard until you get back, no problem." Naruto grinned, for Sasuke would never live this down.

"Shut up, dead last, I don't need you." The Uchiha's fingers clutched the futon bedding tightly, his hands trembled with pent up rage.

"Anyway, Naruto, you stay here." Kakashi's single eye met Tazuna's two eyes. "Mr. Tazuna, I'm sorry to kick you out of your own home but I'm afraid the enemy's focus has switched to us now."

Tazuna nodded and if nothing else, relieved.

"This is no longer about business. When we killed Zabuza, someone took his death personally, so personally in fact that he is doing all this just to get revenge.

"Well, then, I'll be seeing you." Tazuna tipped his straw hat to the Copycat ninja. He then spoke to Naruto. "Hey, kid, don't get yourself killed. I'm cheering for you to become Hokage."

Naruto's grin brimmed with confidence. "Believe it!"

* * *

**Forest****, Outside Tazuna Residence **

Kakashi willingly stepped into the fog covered clearing. He exposed his Sharingan eye but this was the real thing and not the Genjutsu Sasuke had described. Kakashi suddenly had a feeling that something was very wrong.

"Kakashi," a voice echoed all around, far yet near, but still familiar enough for Kakashi to identify the speaker.

"Zabuza, you sound different," it was a bit raspy and more mechanical than the last time he heard from Zabuza.

"Notice the voice, Kakashi? All thanks to that blond brat, but don't worry, he's being taken care of as we speak." The missing-nin chuckled but the sound came out distorted.

"Naruto. . ." indeed, the circumstances were more dangerous different from what he originally thought. Instead of traps, he now faced a real opponent while handicapped. On top of that, Naruto has to defend a helpless Sasuke from Zabuza's accomplice. The situation seemed grim.

"Enough talk," a high velocity blade sliced through the fog, coming down over Kakashi. "Die!"

* * *

**Tazuna Residence **

Naruto sat silently beside Sasuke. Neither of the two boys said anything since Kakashi left and it suited them just fine. While Naruto kept a look out, Sasuke quietly brooded, in one hand he clutched a kunai the other hand balled into a tight fist. The Uchiha's anger grew more and more consuming but on silently on the inside while on the other side he held nothing but contempt for the blond.

The two boys waited anxiously as seconds ticked by while unaware of the enemy who has already made his move. The two boys tried very hard to tolerate each other's presence as water slowly seeped into the Tazuna home. The effect was unnoticeable at first since the floorboards just became slightly more moist than usual. The water ran up the walls in a most unnatural fashion, up the steps to the second floor where the two boys waited. Then finally, water covered the walls unnoticed until Sasuke felt moisture from his futon, water seeped through the fabric from the floorboard.

"What the. . ." Sasuke shot up, his sudden reaction provoked Naruto. But they where too late, the room grew cold then even the breaths condensed into vapor. Slowly the room took on a blue hue as every surface in the house froze into a mirror like finish.

"What's going on?" Naruto stood over Sasuke protectively but dumbfounded, his kunai held at the ready facing the stairway.

"Stay on your toes. He could attack at any moment." Sasuke sat up from his now very damp and cold futon. He had one hand on the kunai and covered Naruto's backside.

Just as Sasuke finished his sentence, Naruto toppled over as intense pain shot up his back. Sasuke heard Naruto's cry and saw those horrible senbons now stuck on Naruto's back. Worse, they came from Sasuke's direction and he didn't see them coming.

"Naruto Uzumaki. . ."

"It's him," fear obvious in Sasuke's voice.

Naruto pulled the senbon from his back. Angrily, he tossed them aside still with his blood on their tip. "What's with the voice? Do I know you from somewhere?"

More needles shot out but this time, Sasuke shoved Naruto out of the path with the strength of his arms. The needles stuck into the wooden floorboard like nails.

Haku appeared all around them, on every smooth surface, on every wall and even the ceiling. Sasuke's red Sharingan swept the room but even its insight failed to pinpoint Haku's true location.

"It's that Sharingan again. I should have put those outlast time." All the Haku images cocked back a hand, ready to unleash another volley of senbon needles.

Naruto stood up, a few needles stuck in his leg and he painfully pulled them out. "I'm not going to let you touch him. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto summoned his clones around the Uchiha, covering him from ever direction.

"That tired old trick?" Haku gloated. "If I've known it would be this easy I would have finished you off in the forest this morning."

"You're-you're that girl!"

"My name is Haku," Senbon rained down over the two boys from directly above. All the clones disappeared until only the real Naruto remained. When the needles hit, Sasuke felt piercing pain on his injured legs but once he looked up he found Naruto on top of him. The room resembled a forest of senbon, while Naruto's back looked like a pincushion.

The blond had taken most of the damage for his teammate.

"You're fraud, Naruto Uzumaki. You may have fooled everyone including me into thinking you're much greater, but in reality you are nothing more than a fool." Haku taunted the boy. Though it's true Haku could have easily killed Naruto this morning had he not been so afraid, but watching him now made it that much more satisfying. He will take his time with Naruto, slowly killing him while exposing his secret. "I can see through your tricks, you just got lucky with Lord Zabuza."

But Sasuke was hardly paying attention to Haku's rant. "Why, why did you save me again?"

"I don't leave my comrades behind." With that, Naruto coughed violently, his blood spilled all over the Uchiha. The next moment, Naruto's eyes rolled back into skull and his body fell on top of Sasuke.

Naruto was still alive. Somehow, the blond was still moving but so weakly that only Sasuke's Sharingan picked up the slight movements. He was chanting in his delirium.

"Damn it, I was just starting to have fun..."

"FIREBALL!"

Haku's eyes snapped open when Naruto suddenly recovered and shouted out that hateful jutsu.

The explosion rocked the house down to its foundation. For miles around, villagers from the Land of Waves saw of pillar of flame reach the sky. They stopped whatever they were doing just for a look. No one saw the village hero, Ms. Amelia, ran off toward the blast.

The fires raged and consumed most of Tazuna's house. Shards of ice rained down only to melt into raindrops before they dropped on the sandy beach. The collected into pools outside Tazuna's house. Naruto and Sasuke flew with the ice and rain, their bodies tossed like rag dolls by the explosion.

The two boys landed with a thud on the beach outside the house but stayed conscious. "Sasuke, you ok?" Naruto sat up, he hurt everywhere and his ears wouldn't stop ringing.

A mirror of ice rose from the pools of water on the beach. Haku stepped out slightly singed but in much better condition than either genins.

"Damn. . . that didn't work." Naruto growled darkly.

Except for a few scorch marks around his clothing, Haku appeared pristine. "I knew you were a fool, Uzumaki. I just never thought you were suicidal."

"Why are you doing this? Why did you take Sakura and hurt Sasuke?" Naruto demanded even though he could barely stand on the sandy beach.

"Revenge of course," Haku said casually with a hint of lunacy. "You took away Lord Zabuza, my precious person. So I'm going to take away those precious to you." Haku formed a seal with a hands clasped together, his middle fingers wrapped around the pointer fingers. Chakra radiated from the masked boy, it permeated into the water, molding it and shaping the water to Haku's desires. At once, panes of ice rose from the pools, surrounding the two genins in a deadly house of mirrors.

'_Look at him, he could barely stand. Why does he keep on fighting?_' This never-say-die attitude of Naruto's only made Sasuke feel a deep shame in pit of his stomach. _'This is hopeless, but he keeps on fighting._'

Naruto took three sendons to his arm so fast he didn't had time to put up a defense. "Bastard. . ." the boy growled even though the arm fell limp and he lost his grip on the kunai. "I can't even see him move. Are those clones attacking me from the mirror?"

_'Naruto can't even see him while I can see his movements and neither of us can match his speed._' Sasuke send out a kunai to Haku's location but the feminine boy just moved too damn fast. For his trouble, Sasuke received a senbon to his kunai arm. _'I'm not going to die here. I still have to kill that man._' Sasuke glared at Naruto and though it pained him to do this, Sasuke had no choice. "Naruto, I have a plan."

"That's good 'cause I can't think of one." Naruto ducked under a barrage of kunai but Haku was only playing with him at this point.

Sasuke's Sharingan followed Haku as he zipped between the mirrors. "First, give us some cover with your Kage Bunshin."

"On it, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" An army of Naruto clones surrounded the two boys. Almost immediately, Haku started to work on the outermost clones but he didn't dispel them in mass like last time.

"It's useless," Haku taunted and dispelled another clone. "You're took weak to stop me."

"I wouldn't lose to you. No matter what, I will become Hokage!" Haku sent out another senbon and destroyed the speaker.

_'He's just toying with us. If Naruto can keep him distracted we just might have a chance,'_ Sasuke's could see each time Haku destroyed a clone, each time he came out of a mirror to throw a senbon. "Now, get ready with that fire-jutsu of yours. But don't let it go until I tell you."

Sasuke continued to follow Haku with his Sharingan while he flashed through a set of hand seals. Beside him, he heard Naruto chant again but the Uchiha put that out of mind and instead focused his attention on Haku's movements.

Naruto cleared his mind and he focused on the chaos words as they came to him. "Source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson. . ."

Haku appeared again and moved at high-speed. His senbon shot out and struck one of the five remaining clones.

"Let thy power gather in my hand..." The blond put Haku out of his mind and refused to let the dying clones distract him. A part of him, however, still registered their destruction. '_Shit, there's only four left. He'll get them in the next round._' Two more clones picked up sand as they exploded. '_The bastard better hurry up,_' Naruto wasn't sure if he can hold this jutsu if those senbons hit him again.

Sasuke finished the last seal. His Sharingan never left Haku, and now, it told the Uchiha exactly which mirror the shinobi headed.

Another senbon struck a Naruto's thigh but this time it hit the real Naruto.

"Got you!"

"Naruto, now!" Sasuke breathed back deeply then let all the molded Chakra out in multiple spitting actions. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"

Naruto ignored the pain from the senbon that pierced deep into the bone. He bit down on his lips until tangy copper touched his tongue and never lost sight of his goal. He forced through the pain and the last part of the jutsu.

"FIREBALL!"

Sasuke sprayed his fire balls in a wide arch, catching Haku between mirrors and forcing the masked shinobi to weave between them. Haku nimbly dodged each attack but Sasuke did not mean for them to hit Haku. Ultimately, Sasuke forced Haku away from the mirrors just long enough for Naruto's much more powerful fire ball to reach Haku in midflight.

Haku realized too late. The massive explosion from Naruto's Fireball destroyed Naruto's remaining clones and threw all three boys clear of the ice mirrors. Sasuke landed in a heap, his left arm bent at an unnatural angle. Naruto came down in the body of water just outside Tazuna's burning home.

Naruto swam to the surface. "You see that? I totally kicked his ass!"

Sasuke's only response was a deep painful groan. Then suddenly he stiffened, his eyes rolled back and he fell limp. Several new senbons protruded from his body.

"What the. . . But I beat you!" Naruto swam to shore but afterwards he couldn't even stand straight. Haku was in the same condition, the masked shinobi no longer had his mask. A fresh burn scar marred half his beautiful face while the explosion ripped his clothes to shreds.

"Yes, all thanks to the Sharingan." Haku keeled over, like Naruto, he no longer has the strength to stand. "But I took care of that. You're a pathetic excuse for a ninja, Naruto. If it wasn't for fear of that one single jutsu, I could have easily killed you this morning."

"Shut up," the blond growl, the anger fueled his body with false strength. 'Stupid Sasuke and his stupid Sharingan, he even got this guy impressed. What's so special about it anyway?' He tried to stand once more but his legs gave out. His hands clutched into a tight ball but unable to reach the other boy.

"Let's face it. You're a one-trick pony."

"I said, shut up!" Naruto roared and threw all caution to the winds. He aimed wildly and with the last drops of magical strength still in him, he through a third Fireball. "I am not weak."

The spell burned much less intensely than his previous attempts. While the others had a halo around it like the corona of a sun, this time the fire ball was just that - a ball of fire. It left Naruto's hand and flew toward Haku but the blond aimed out of anger and frustration. He missed.

"Damn it, I'm completely exhausted." The fire ball whizzed passed Haku. "If only it could go a little to the left." The fire ball curved around as if it responded to Naruto's desires.

"You're pathetic. . ."

The spell struck true. While Haku taunted his opponent, he never expected the fire ball would come back and hit him from behind. For all of Haku's knowledge of jutsu, none behaved such as this one. The final explosion blew Haku into the water. He had no last thoughts or words... he simply never saw it coming.

"Who's pathetic now?"

Naruto collapsed and finally fell into darkness.

* * *

As the fires consumed his body Haku, finally, felt a since of peace. He carried no burden, only relief from the knowledge that his tragic existence would end. He only had one regret. 

He felt the cold nothingness wash over him as a malevolent intent took over his heart. He sensed a presence and his opened to meet it.

"Who are you?"

The woman had a massive broadsword strapped to her back even as she floated just above Haku. Her mere presence sucked the heat out of the fires burning on his body.

"I am Sherra, a servant of the Demon King of the North. You, whom my master has deemed worthy to serve him, I am here to offer you a new purpose."

"A new purpose. . ."

"In exchange for your loyalty, your new master will grant you the power to avenge your precious master."

Haku thought over the proposal for but an instant.

"What do I have to do?"

In one swift motion, Sherra impaled Haku through the heart with her broadsword.

"Die . . . and be reborn . . ."

* * *

Next up: Rise of the Mazoku! 

Preview:

Will Sakura find the note in the water trap that tells her that the key is in her stomach that she'll need to cut it out with a rusty spoon? What's up with zombie Zabuza, and will he finally get to eat some konoha brains? Does anyone care if that emo Sasuke is dead, or was it just a matter of time anyways? All this and more hopefully next chapter!

Demon Ice Mirrors: A creation of Haku's Bloodline Limit, the Hyoton, which allows Haku to manipulate the elements of wind and water to create ice. Once Haku steps into these mirrors, he can instantly travel between different ice mirrors that he has created.

Goukakyuu no Jutsu: The Grand Fireball Technique. The user must first gather a large amount of chakra in his hand and mouth... this attack is similar to a flamethrower. The mouth shoots out fire by placing one hand just over of the lips to control it into one large fireball. Sasuke used this jutsu during the bell test.

Kirigakure no Jutsu: A Ninjutsu technique that covers the area surrounding the ninja in mist. Zabuza used this technique to attack Team 7 on their way to the Land of Waves

Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu: A water based technique that transforms water into a shape of a dragon. Zabuza used this technique to break Kakashi's leg.

Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu: Housenka creates many small, yet powerful fireballs from the user's mouth, and shooting them at the opponent. This means that this NinJutsu can hit many opponents in one strike... however, it also means that it can be dodged easier since the balls are smaller than a stream of fire.

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu: Naruto's trademark technique. Create exact clones of the user using Chakra.


	7. Chapter 4: The Calm

He lived in the land of snow.

Like most stories, ours begins on one cold winter night.

On this night, a farmer and his wife had their first child. They named him, Haku, after the purity of their lands. Even though the land was barren and the winter harsh, the couple and their son lived happily. The father worked the land, tilting the soil day in and day out. The mother took cared of the house and made sure there was always food on the table when the farmer returned from a hard day's work. All the while, little Haku grew up with a strange fascination for the snow. Life was hard, then, yet, they were happy.

But the mother harbored a shameful secret… a secret disgrace which she had unwittingly passed on to little Haku.

On a day like any other, little Haku discovered that he had the ability to control water. He could bend water to his will. Shape it, change it and even make it dance in midair. The boy showed his mother this wondrous ability. All of a sudden, she went pale. A quiet muttering, 'What have you done?' was the only sign of her mental breakdown.

So why did the mother suddenly snap? You see, they were freaks. The mother possessed the same power, a Bloodline Limit called the Hyoton, the ability to control water and ice. And she had passed it onto her son. Back then, their part of the world looked upon all Bloodline Limits with disdain and met it with violence. People from their village blamed all their worldly troubles on those that possessed these special abilities.

The mother had tried to hide what she was, prayed that her son would be normal. After this day, mother and son hid their true nature from the farmer.

But on one cold winter night...

The farmer had found his wife's secret and in his rage he murdered her in front of little Haku.

He lived in the land of snow. And on a cold winter night, Haku murdered his father.

* * *

Hurricane Magic 

By Oberon

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers and I don't own Naruto. All characters were used without permission of their original creators.

Credit: Thanks to Yojimbo for the great beta job. Love ya man. Oh, and Tsukasa too, how can I forget about you.

* * *

Consciousness returned to him. First, his hands curled around a fist full of sand and then he realized he laid faced down on the beach. By then his fingers had clasped the sands so hard that it drove the grains under his nails. 

"Sasuke…" Naruto called out weakly, still unaware of the world around him. Then a friendly voice broke though the confusion and fatigue that weighted down his mind and perception.

"Don't worry. Your friend is going to be ok. I'm healing him right now."

Brushing the sand from his face, the blond genin looked up and saw someone over Sasuke's prone form. Someone he recognized.

"You're that girl," her hands glowed with a white light which seemed very familiar to Naruto. Naruto suddenly remembered where he saw this jutsu once before. She held the light close to Sasuke's heart just like Zelgadis-sensei healed his wounds. "You can use that jutsu too?" And she could kicked ass, big time. "You're so cool!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Well, daddy always said you need to look impressive to inspire the Allies of Justice." She gently smiled back. "Here, all better." Done with Sasuke, Amelia stood up and helped Naruto to his feet. She let the boy lean on her as they walked back to where Sasuke still laid unconscious.

"But why is he still out of it?"

The young healer shrugged her eyes lingered on Naruto's hair. '_This is very strange,_' the priestess thought as she studied the boy's locks. She let her eyes stray to Naruto slightly longer than comfortable, almost rudely. "I guess he's just tired." She finally broke off eye contact with Naruto when the boy noticed her strange interest. "And you used up all your magic as well."

"Wha-hey, what happened?" Naruto finally realized something was wrong with him when his hands flew up to the few strands of stray hair in his eyes. "Why do I have white hair like the old man?" He grasped the hair with alarm.

Amelia suddenly had that déjà vu feeling, like talking to Mr. Gourry all over again. "Eh… you used up all your magic." She suggested weakly. "It's not permanent. You'll be back to normal in a few hours," she flashed Naruto a kind and reassuring smile. "Besides, you shouldn't be ashamed of the way you look."

"I'm not ashamed!" Naruto protested. "I just…" he twirled his nervous fingers. Quietly, he mumbled while his cheeks flushed with a full on blush. "Well, this girl I like will think it's weird."

"Aw, young love, isn't it wonderful?" Amelia nearly swooned but suddenly she noticed the remains of the house in the background. "Anyway, I guess you were the one that used Fireball just now." She felt the disturbance in the Astra Plane from all the way on the other side of the village.

Normally, Amelia wouldn't be able feel spell casting from that distance but the lack of magic users around this part of the world made Naruto's Fireball seem like a bright shining beacon.

"What happened? And isn't this Mr. Tazuna's house?" Pointing to the fire burning the timber home to sunder.

Naruto fiddled nervously with his hair. "Hehe… well, there was this ninja… and well, he sorta came looking to get revenge… and I sorta blew-up-the-house." He spoke the last part really fast, hoping the Justice inclined Amelia wouldn't hear it. Naruto still remembered what she did to those man on the bridge and didn't want to join them by unsettling Amelia's sense of Justice. "Sorry," he grinned weakly, relying on his foxy charm to save him.

"Wait a minute... You're the one that blew up Mr. Tazuna's house?" Her eyes narrowed then burst into flames – once again the flames of justice rekindled, and with them the gears turned. The Fireball, the level of destruction, and Naruto's depleted magic only meant one thing. The blond that stood before her was evil. Justice could not stand for this. Amelia worked herself up into a frenzy. "He's such a nice man and he worked so hard to build that bridge for the village." Amelia's voice grew higher and higher just as Naruto felt an impenetrable dread wrap around his heart. "What you done is unforgivable!"

Faster than the eye could blink, Amelia ran for the nearby ledge while Naruto kept a clueless expression. The genin blinked when the justice girl took an extraordinary long amount of time to ascend the burning walls. She seemed lacking in any agility as she clumsily climbed and dodged falling debris.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, still clueless.

Amelia pointed an accusing finger at Naruto from atop Mr. Tazuna's house. The fire framed the background, matching the fires of justice in Amelia's eyes. "You who would burn down the house of a noble bridge builder…"

Naruto blinked. "Are you talking to me?" He asked innocently. "Look, I said I was sorry. But that jackass started it. I was just defending myself."

"Justice-wait, did you say you were sorry?" Suddenly the flames of justice went out.

"Well, yeah, it's not like I meant to blow up Tazuna's house." Naruto shuffled nervously.

"I suppose justice can be served if you repented." Naruto's apology may have put out the Flames of Justice but it did nothing to flames burning Mr. Tazuna's house. Just after Amelia scaled down the walls, the flames rippled across what remained of the timber shack and consumed the rest of the house in an instant.

"So tell me, where did you learn to throw Fireballs like that? I thought people from this country didn't know magic?"

"Magic? Nah, that was just a jutsu I learned from Zelgadis-sensei."

"Mr. Zelgadis," shock, Amelia was immediately by Naruto's side. She took the genin's hands into her own, squeezing them while she asked him. "You know Mr. Zelgadis? Oh, tell me, has he lost any weight? He must be so lonely out here all by himself." She realized her grip had swelled up Naruto's hands to great red puffs, like squeezing on a ballon. "I'm sorry," she apologized with a blush. "I don't know what came over me."

Naruto instinctively shook his hands to get the blood circulating again. "Hmmm… he did say he was going off to look for his friends. But that was months ago, back when he taught me these cool jutsus."

"Mr. Zelgadis…" The priestess sniffed. Tears weld up in her eyes as she thought of all the terrible things Mr. Zelgadis must have gone though. "Poor Mr. Zelgadis…"

"…" Naruto didn't know how to respond to that. Although something did annoyed Zelgadis-sensei most of the time they were together, Naruto just never figured out what annoyed his sensei so much. Other than that, it wasn't that bad living in the woods outside the Leaf Village.

"Tell me everything, please, Mr. Ninja."

**Later**

"…And that's the last time I saw him."

"Wow, Mr. Zelgadis must have really liked you." Amelia patted Naruto's head. "Usually he would just say something like: 'Get out of my way Naruto, I must find a way to cure my chimeraisum.' He's kinda cold like that but I think it's sweet that he opened up to you." Amelia's imitation of Zelgadis-sensei brought a smile to the exhausted genin.

"I don't know about that... but he's way better that Sasuke-bastard and a much better teacher than Kakashi-sensei at least." He suddenly remembered he forgot a very important thing. "Oh-my-god, I almost forgot about Sakura!" Naruto jumped up. Heedless of Amelia's shouts, the genin ran toward the training ground where Kakashi went to rescue Sakura. A sudden feeling of dread overtook him as he ran into the forest. '_Why hasn't Kakashi-sensei returned yet? It's been too long._'

Amelia shouted at the boy. "Naruto, wait! You wouldn't be able to do magic right now." She wanted to go after him but the boy who seemed exhausted moments ago, now sprinted so fast that she lost track of him in the dense foliage. "I guess he really likes that girl."

* * *

Kakashi ducked under the first strike but before he could counterattack, he felt the mist partway. The Copycat ninja barely had enough time to tug into a roll, avoiding a beheading strike aiming for his crouching position. 

"Are you having fun now, Kakashi?" Zabuza's distorted voice echoed in the fog then a moment later, Kakashi received a wide gash across his back when he moved just a little too slow.

Kakashi's skin remained intact; the lucky hit just shredded his vest.

"What does your Sharingan tell you, Kakashi? Does it predict your death?"

There, two meters to the right, Kakashi could see a break in the fog as something whished by. The Leaf-nin knew he had to take this chance to attack Zabuza. He's injured leg got in the way and he realized his reaction time got worse with the last few narrow escapes. In the last few minutes, he got away mostly unscathed but the nicks and cuts he received had a cumulative effect. Kakashi knew this break was a trap but without regard for his own safety, the Copycat ninja leaped toward the location where he thought Zabuza might be.

Lashing out with his kunai, Kakashi hit nothing but air. He felt the wind shift and the blade of Zabuza enter his stomach before disintegrating into a cloud of ninja smoke. Elsewhere, Kakashi remembered the exact moments that led up to the destruction of his clone. The Kage Bunshin allowed him to recall everything his clone experienced, with this bit of information, the Copycat ninja determined Zabuza's exact location.

The sound of bird chirps echoed across the forest. First a flash of brilliant white-blue light then what followed was the clank of metal parts.

"Notice the voice… that blond brat, but don't worry, he's being… taken care… of…" Zabuza's voice broke off and at the end; the voice became mechanical and sluggish.

"Like a broken record," Kakashi still held out his palm at the end of the Chidori. The fog disappeared after a burst of chakra, which Zabuza's constant attacks had prevented Kakashi from disbursing sooner. When the finally fog lifted, Kakashi saw his opponent on the ground. Electricity still danced around the fist-sized hole on Zabuza's chest.

Or was it Zabuza at all?

"A training dummy?" That meant the original Zabuza must have died. "I knew they made them lifelike these days but I never thought they'll be this good… hmm, I wonder if they come in a kunoichi model?"

Fog obscured the area once more. Whatever hidden mechanization that produced the mist restarted its work, continually producing the thick mist which deceived even the Sharingan. By then, however, the Copycat ninja had already found what he was looking for.

The metal doll still clutched Zabuza's great sword. It occasionally twitched and repeated a portion of the tape recording. "Enough talk… Die! …Are you having fun now?"

* * *

The cold seeped into her bones and Sakura felt her body go numb. She wiggled her fingers just to make sure she still had them. She breathed hard and fast now, her head craned back so she could take in the last few moments of air. The murky water rose above Sakura's pale cheeks and just as the first trickle of that cold water touched her lips, Sakura took one last deep breath then waited. 

She heard rumbling but could not tell if it was just the effect of submersion in the cold abyss or if something happened. Water rose above her eyes and her world dimmed until a dark distorted tomb was all that she saw. Sakura desperately tried to calm herself, fighting the panic raising in her heart and failing. The pink-haired Kunoichi struggled with the iron bonds that held her limbs. 'Is this it?' The kunoichi asked. '_I'm too young to die. I haven't even had my first kiss yet. Please, Sasuke, save me…_' then in the darkness of her watery tomb, Sakura heard a loud clank of gears grinding against each other.

Or so she thought.

Her heart raced as she struggled to hold her breath for just seconds longer. She allowed herself hope even though a corner of her mind reminded herself of the futility of such hope. The sound probably came from a desperate last minute delusion. A vain hope and a mean trick the mind played on her while awaiting death from inside her own watery grave.

By this time, Sakura had held her breath for over a minute. She struggled for every extra second while her lungs burned and longed for oxygen. Finally, just when she thought she could hold on no longer, just as the darkness closed in for the last time, her dark watery tomb echoed with a deep groan. Just as all hope evaporated, she saw the radiant sun penetrate her grave's murky depth.

The cold numbed her mind and body. "Sasuke…" weakly, Sakura mumbled. Her breath escaped from her in a wash of bubbles.

Kakashi turned the lid on the water tank and found Sakura's eyes staring back at him. He was not too late; the kunoichi was still alive. "Don't worry…" the smell of lit fuses caught Kakashi's attention. "Shimatta…" the explosive tags hidden underneath the hatch exploded.

* * *

Naruto felt the explosion from some distance away. Heedless of his own exhausted state, the blond ran even faster toward the direction of the explosion. He found the kunoichi first, her pink hair stuck out amongst the debris and smoke. 

"Sakura…" on top of her was the Copycat ninja. The jonin protected the kunoichi with his body. "Kakashi-sensei…" both his sensei and Sakura were unconscious and Kakashi looked severely burned. The explosion exposed the jonin's bareback and scared the skin with fire and gashes. The boy froze in his tracks. His limbs trembled.

"It's ok, Naruto, I can help." A familiar voice, when Naruto looked to the source, he found Amelia high above the treetops floating effortlessly.

Blue eyes bulged. "What the hell, you can fly?"

Amelia landed gracefully next to Kakashi and Sakura. "Eh… yeah, it's really isn't that hard. Uh, many spells allow flight, in fact." The priestess placed her hand over Kakashi's back. From her palm, came a warm white light that began to heal the Copycat's wounds. "Please, can you be quiet for a second? I need to concentrate on healing them."

"Sorry," Naruto can barely contain his excitement. He wanted to learn how to fly. '_I'll ask her about it later_' the look of intense focus on Amelia's face convinced Naruto that now was not the right time to ask her to teach it to him.

"Don't worry; I'll heal them in no time." The light grew more intense as the scare tissue healed faster and faster. Charred flesh, burned by the intense heat, hardened into scalp and fell away leaving behind newly mended skin. Fibers of muscles grew in the space in the wound and deep cuts closed as if pulled together by an outside force.

Drops of sweat rolled down Amelia's brawl during the last leg of the healing. The light grew blindingly intense with small sparks rain down Kakashi's body. Then the light died away, leaving behind a renewed jonin and Amelia who looked a bit warn out.

"Hey hey, now heal Sakura next."

"Can you hold on a minute, Naruto?" She wiped away the sweet. "It's hard work being the champion of Justice."

"But Sakura, she's…" At the moment, the kunoichi looked like a broken doll.

"Her injuries aren't serious; the man protected her from most of the damage." Amelia placed her hands over the broken kunoichi. Her smile comforted the blond genin who panicked over Sakura's condition. "It's a very nice thing to do for someone, worthy of an Ally of Justice."

"Kakashi-sensei…" Kakashi reminded Naruto of the words he lived by through his actions. '_Those that abandon their friends are worse than scum..._' but ally of justice? Come on, this same man who's too lazy to teach his students? His responsibility? '_Well, you see, I got lost on the road of life… There was this black cat…_' And the list goes on. "I'm not so sure if you can call him that. He's kinda lazy." Naruto said sheepishly.

"That's mean, and-and you shouldn't say something like that. And-"

Sakura's eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Wha-what happened?" The kunoichi moaned. The last thing she remembered was someone pulling her out from the water tank moments before…

Naruto ran to Sakura's side while Amelia was still healing her. He took Sakura's hand and held it tightly while big drops of crystalline tears ran down the boy's cheeks.

"Sakura, you're awake!" He cried loudly, still holding her hand. Then the blond hugged the pink haired kunoichi before she knew what was going on.

Sakura's left eye twitched. "Na-ru-to!" She cocked back a fist. With righteousness as her guide, she knocked the other genin across the face. "That's for getting so familiar with a girl when you look like a perverted old man," she yelled indignantly.

Amelia misinterpreted what occurred between the two genins and thought Naruto had just done something inappropriate. She saw the righteousness in the other girl's eyes and perhaps, the potential to be a fellow champion of Justice. However, the kunoichi's form was a bit off. "Pretty good, but it's more like this!" Faster than Naruto could see, Amelia's fist met his jaw. The uppercut she delivered sends the dazed Naruto rocketing toward the sky.

"Wow, nice one." Sakura nodded in agreement and impressed by the dark-haired girl's anti-pervert skills. "Hey, what's your name?"

Amelia shot up and back flipped to a standing position. With one finger toward the sky, she declared. "It is I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, hero of Justice in training and ambassador to these new lands by order of my Royal father, Prince Philionel of Seyruun. If you be a friend, call me Amelia. If you be a villain, call me Justice!"

Sakura shivered. "Ok…" the only word that came mind she couldn't say in front of the other girl. '_Crazy,_' after all she did heal her. "I'm Sakura, by the way." Sakura said politely while she backed away from the crazy girl.

Naruto fell from high above. His face broke the fall. "I guess Sakura's injuries weren't so serious..."

* * *

**A few days later…**

Some time passed and slowly, Kakashi recovered from his injuries. He awoke to lethargy, then, as his full senses returned, the Copycat ninja suddenly realized his left leg no longer ached. He looked around and found Sakura coming to him with a towel and a pan.

"Kakashi-sensei, you're awake." The girl hastily put down the pan and called to the other person in the house. "Sasuke, come quickly. Kakashi-sensei is awake."

"Shut up, I heard you the first time." The grumpy Uchiha walked into the room, looked Kakashi in the eye then flipped his hair at the Copycat ninja.

Kakashi smiled underneath. He felt a lot better now that Sasuke regained use of his legs.

"Well, you seem to be in a cherry mood." His one exposed eye deliberatively strayed to Sasuke's legs. "Did something happen?" He asked innocently.

"Sasuke kicked femboy's ass, that's what happened!" The pink haired kunoichi yelled excitedly. In truth, neither Sasuke nor Naruto talked much about what happened that day. Though Tazuna's house no longer stood, the group, including Team7 and Tazuna's family, stayed together at a home belonging to a friend of the bridge builder. While Kakashi recovered, Team7 spend their days licking their wounds. Sasuke took this time to brood over the events, he also made sure Sakura felt unwelcome whenever she tried to pry open the subject. As for Naruto, he spent the last few days training and barely paid any attention to the inquisitive kunoichi, not even to gloat. Sakura rarely saw Naruto these past few days as the bond only returned late into the night only to eat a quick meal before he hit the futon. From this most unNaruto-like behavior, Sakura assumed the blond genin had underperformed once again.

"…" Sasuke said nothing, instead he glared at the bubbly kunoichi who worshiped him.

Kakashi noticed the tension right away. It was not hard with the bad vibes Sasuke put out. "Is that what happened, Sasuke?" The Copycat ninja studied his student carefully, taking note of Sasuke's body language.

The Uchiha tried to hide it but Kakashi's keen eye and his insight saw through the boy's mask of indifference. There, the slight hesitation, Sasuke's movements showed the growing doubt. The boy's eyes tried so hard to convince the world that the doubt did not exist. All this meant only one thing. Sasuke's superiority complex had definitely taken a blow.

However, when he finally spoke, Sasuke's words carried the weight of deep contemplation. "That boy… he had a Bloodline Limit."

Sakura, though, completely missed the dramatic pause in the middle of Sasuke's speech. "Are you talking about Naruto? Since when does he have a bloodline?" She thought perhaps that Naruto revealed a Bloodline Limit of his own during the fight. After all, Naruto acted all weird and the first night he had that freaky white hair which made him look like a perverted old man. '_But why would Sasuke be jealous of Naruto?_' Sakura dismissed the thought completely as she wrote it off as impossible.

Kakashi understood what the Uchiha meant and how difficult it was for the Uchiha to admit his failings, even if he didn't put them into words. Kakashi did not pry further. This, however, raised another question.

"And your leg?"

"They're fine," was the stoic reply from Sasuke.

"What's going on?" Strange thoughts plagued Sakura's excessively large forehead for she was the clueless one for once.

Kakashi sighed. "The shinobi that placed you in the water trap also severed Sasuke's ligaments on their first confrontation," he looked to Sasuke once more. "But now I see that's no longer the case."

"Wait a minute, how can Sasuke regrow something like that? It's the kind of injury that ends careers." Alarm bells went off in Sakura's head. '_Is Sasuke faking it? Maybe he's just pretending to walk._' Sakura panicked with worry over Sasuke's future. '_Poor Sasuke, you don't have to wear that tough guy mask all the time._' Nonetheless, the kunoichi saw an opportunity to ingratiate herself with the Uchiha. She will take care of him from now on, even if he can't be a ninja anymore.

Kakashi didn't seem concerned because he did not share Sakura's inability to think clearly in matters that concerned Sasuke. "That's what I would like to know." He said softly.

During the entire exchange, Sasuke remained uninterested.

Sakura felt like smacking herself on her too large forehead. '_What was I thinking? There's no way things will end like that for my Sasuke_' it occurred to her, just then, that she had already met someone that could explain Sasuke's miraculous recovery. "Hey, now I remember. There was this strange girl with Naruto that healed our injuries after sensei rescued me from the water trap."

"You must mean Ms. Amelia." Tazuna appeared by the door. He had just returned from a session at the local pub and he still reeked of sake, even from this distance. "She's our little miracle worker and hero of the village too." Tazuna added.

Kakashi suddenly had a very bad feeling. "Where's Naruto?" He demanded the answer from his students.

Sasuke stuck his thumb out and pointed to the yard. "He's outside, says he's training but all I see is him standing there, mumbling to himself."

Outside, Naruto focused all his attention inwardly. He squinted his eyes, deep lines appeared on his face from the force of his concentration.

"LEVITATION!" At Naruto's command, his feet shot off the ground. Just then, Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke walked up. Naruto didn't notice them as all his attention went into the control of his spell. Then suddenly, the blond genin flailed around moments before he slammed his face into the rough bark of a nearby tree. To the rest of Team7, Naruto appeared to be jumping headfirst into a tree while flailing his arms around. In truth, Naruto had lost control of the spell during mid flight. He flew uncontrollably until painfully stopped.

"Why you! Stupid tree!" Naruto shook his fist at the inconveniently placed plant.

Sasuke watched the blond curiously though his eyes never went beyond the usual contemptuous glare he reserved for Naruto. "Dead last, what are you doing?"

"Oi, what does it look like to you, bastard?" Naruto flipped Sasuke the finger. "I'm learning how to fly."

Kakashi signed. "Is it me? Or does anyone else think Naruto seems to have gotten stupider?"

Sasuke, however, did not appear to fall for Naruto's provocation. "Che," he grunted, though on the inside, the Uchiha was seething. "What an idiot," he stated as mater of fact and without a hint of malice.

Sakura nodded, she felt sorry for the blond. "Maybe that creepy ninja-kid hit him on the head one too many…"

Before she could finish, Naruto tried the spell once more.

"LEVITATION!" Again, Naruto shoots off the ground but this time he stopped just short of the tree branch. His wide blue eyes came so close to the tree that he could see the rough bark and the battalion of ants marching in the groove of the skin. "Wha-what… I did it," the blond suddenly realized. "YAHOO!" He shouted for joy at the top of his lungs.

Sasuke's mouth snapped shut in the middle of another ridicule. "No way," he blurted out instead. He made double sure the idiot wasn't holding on to anything but this was real. Naruto was flying.

"Yes!" Naruto continued to pat himself on the back, figuratively, while he pumped his fists in the air repeatedly. "Who's the greatest? I am!"

Suddenly, the blond began to wobble then he shot erratically through the air. Something seemed to tug him toward the right then suddenly jerk him to the left, slamming his shoulder into the tree trunk. The he shot straight up, scrapping against the rough bark, shredding his orange jumpsuit, and overall doing a good job of hitting every branch on his way up and snapping off every branch on one side.

"Ah, shit." He said then desperately trying to grab on to something, anything.

Naruto's face twisted into a frown as he realized what's going to happen. Then he fell; his face snapped off all the branches on the opposite side. All the while, Sakura and the rest of team 7 watched wide-eyed and embarrassed.

"That hurt," Naruto mumbled with his face on the ground while leaves fell around him.

Kakashi only rolled his eye at the blond's antics. "How is it that you can fly, Naruto?" Almost certain that everyone, Hokage included, would be curious how Naruto seemingly developed this ability overnight.

The boy just grinned. "Magic"

For Kakashi, this just reaffirmed his belief the boy had something special. He felt sorry for Naruto, a person with a special gift squandered by a lazy sensei. For now, he will not bring up the subject of flight as another matter weighted his mind. The medic-nin, the person the villagers called Amelia.

"Let's go inside. You have to tell me about this Amelia person."

- - - - - - - - - - -

Tazuna waved at Team7 the moment they came in the door. "Hey, you're back. Look who's here."

"Oi, what's going on?" Naruto was loud, as usual.

Amelia chimed in. "Naruto, it's time that you pay penance for destroying Mr. Tazuna's house."

"Wha?" Naruto eyed the sorceress with his lame look, his expression almost comical.

Tazuna nodded in silent agreement. "That's right. Ms. Amelia has graciously offered your services in the rebuilding of my house."

Naruto panicked. "But I beat Haku," he whined. "Don't I deserve a break?"

"No!" Everyone in the room shouted simultaneously.

Amelia pushed a reluctant Naruto out the door with both hands against his back. "Now, come along, Naruto. There's nothing like the sweat of physical labor when redeeming yourself in the eyes of Justice."

"I said I was sorry!" Naruto's voice slowly faded into the distance.

The latest turn of events left Kakashi searching for the right words. "That girl… how should I say this…"

The Uchiha finished for him. "I think the word you're looking for is crazy."

Even while half-drunk, Tazuna couldn't help but agree. The bridge builder only agreed on principal, however, as Amelia's actions lately had left Tazuna as a potential convert. "Aye, but she also single-handed took out Gato and his men so I suppose there is something to this Justice thing." A convert to the ways of Justice.

"Interesting," all Kakashi had to say.

* * *

Sato was a thin man that still kept most his muscles from his days as a construction worker. Through the years before Gato's arrival, the humble laborer rose through the ranks of Tazuna's work crew to become the head supervisor. The village still had a good economy then, foreign money kept everyone well fed and trade brought exotic goods from all over the Elemental Countries. The Village in the Waves grew more prosperous with every year and that in turn meant the construction projects kept coming. 

When Gato came all that changed. The money soon dried up and after Gato killed Kaiza, Tazuna lost whatever pride he had left and began hitting the bottle. Sato, being the good friend that he was, joined Tazuna and the two droned their sorrow with sake.

Two days ago, a miracle happened. Tazuna and the village regained their pride, in an unbelievable turn of events, the stranger that washed up at their shores a little over a year ago stood up to Gato and easily crushed him. The only damage to the village that day was the mysterious explosion that destroyed Tazuna's house.

While Sato immediately opened his own home to his longtime friend, all the villagers chipped in with what little they had and insisted that Sato rebuilt Tazuna's home as quickly as possible. Ms. Amelia, the hero of the village, said she knew the perfect person to help with the reconstruction.

Amelia walked up to Sato as the thin man surveyed the damage to his friend's house. "Alright, Mr. Sato, here's your construction crew."

Sato blinked. The only other person there was this short blond kid in a glaring jumpsuit. "What, you mean that's it, just this scrawny kid?"

"Why, you…" the blond genin growled at the thin man's insult. "I'll show you what this 'scrawny kid' can do," Chakra swirled around the blond. The air glowed so blue the very essence of ninja became visible. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A horde of blonds smirked back at Sato.

Tazuna's friend gasped. "Whoa, that's pretty impressive…" he remembered Tazuna said something about hiring ninja. This boy must be the ninja Tazuna had conned. "But can you build houses?" As far as the simple construction foremen knew, ninja were mysterious but not known for building houses.

"Hell yeah, just watch me!"

Amelia liked Naruto's enthusiasm. "Well, I have to go. I'll be back later to check up on you, Naruto."

- - - -- - - - -

**Meanwhile, back in Konoha…**

In a swirl of smoke, man meat packed in spandex appeared before the Hokage. "You summoned for the Prideful Green Beast of Konoha, Lord Hokage?"

The man's smile forced old man-Hokage to look away, avoiding the glare from his impossibly bright and shinny-white dentures.

"Gai, you're here. Right on time," the Hokage tilted his hat some more and blocked his sight of the muscular man's bulk.

Gai's ripped muscles tightened as he gave the Hokage his patented thumbs up of commitment. "Whenever the Lord Hokage calls, the Green Beast will answer even if a thousand obstacles stand in the way."

"Ah, yes, you are indeed the perfect candidate for the mission."

The light that reflected off Gai's smile blinded the Hokage when he looked up by mistake. "Whatever the Hokage commands of us, Team Gai will accomplish with all the passion that comes with the Flames of Youth."

The old man readjusted his hat. "Ahem, this will be an escort mission. For the next month, you will protect the Fire Lord as he inspects the Land of Fire." In his hand, the Hokage held the file with the Fire Lord's itinerary. "Normally, this mission will go to more experienced teams but the Fire Lord wishes to showcase the next generation of Leaf-ninja." The Hokage kept his sigh hidden even to Maito Gai's keen eyes for body movements. He puffed his pipe before continuing. "I can think of no other team that embodies the vitality of Konoha better than yours."

The green clad jonin twirled around then excited proclaimed his enthusiasm. "Yes! Team Gai will show the world what can be accomplished with the Flames of Youth!"

"Officially, this mission will be classified as a C-rank." Konoha's spy network knew of no new plots to take the Fire Lord's life. ANBU black ops were already in route to those fringe groups that had their assassination plans in play. "However, I have arranged for other teams to shadow Team Gai in the event that something unexpected occurs."

'_I just hope the Fire Lord can keep his meals down…_'

* * *

**Two weeks later…**

On the day team7 set out to leave the Land of Waves, Tazuna and a few of the villagers showed up to pay their respects to the ninja. Although most of the villagers had no idea Team7's contributions, Tazuna nonetheless was grateful for their help. Without them, he would never have made it back.

"Hey, kid, I wanted to name this bridge after you," Tazuna pulled on a rope tied to a white sheet covering the sign on the bridge. The sheet fell away and underneath the cloth was the name the town's people chose for their bridge. Amelia's Justice Bridge. "But the villagers insisted that we named it after Ms. Amelia instead."

Naruto balked at the name and whined. "Ah, man…"

"Keep your chin up, boy. I may not be able to name the bridge like I wanted but…" it was then that Tazuna stepped aside and revealed a small building by the bridge.

The building was no bigger than a roadside shack but it was also under a sheet of white cloth. The old bridge builder pulled on a rope and the second sheet fell away. "I talked them into naming the tollbooth after you instead." The Great Naruto Tollbooth, with a mantra painted in bright orange: Everyone must pay. Believe It!

"What the fuck," Naruto blinked once. He couldn't believe his eyes. He blinked again just to make sure. Yup, it was still retarded.

"You don't like it?" Tazuna asked incredulously. Even though he only knew the blond for a short time, he could tell Naruto was starving for attention. He thought the hyperactive ninja would jump at the chance for his name to appear on a building.

"Well, it's just that…" Naruto stuttered about, then gave up and shouted. "It's fucking stupid!

Kakashi grinned through his mask. "I don't know about that. It's kind of fitting, don't you think?"

Sasuke just wanted to get out of there, and in truth, Naruto's antics both tried his patience and annoyed the Uchiha.

"Do you work yourself up about every little thing? Let's go," Sasuke made no effort to hide his impatience.

"Give our regards to Ms. Amelia." Kakashi nodded to Tazuna one last time. "By the way, where is she? I thought she would be here for the unveiling."

"She'll be leaving us shortly and some of the villagers are throwing her a farewell party." Even though the bridge builder still felt more indebted to the ninja than he did to Ms. Amelia, he saw what the others were thinking. "Even thou she's only been with us a short while, most of the village feels that we should honor her as our savior." She did restore their pride.

Kakashi could not rationalize Amelia's rather peculiar behavior. And suspicious. Medical-nins of Amelia's talent always drew attention. Yet, the girl did not even try to hide this which only added to the deeper mystery surrounded her history. Kakashi always said to 'look underneath, the underneath' and yet he couldn't see through this young girl at all. That made Kakashi suspicious and wary. Why did she pick now as the time to leave the village?

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing her again," Kakashi's open musing confused the blond genin beside him.

Naruto puzzled over his sensei's cryptic response. "Why is she leaving? Is she coming with us?

"No, I heard she wants to go find her friends." Tazuna explained with what little he heard from those closer to Ms. Amelia. "She may not seem like it but under that cheerful exterior, she's actually pretty lonely here in our little village."

* * *

At noon, Sato became worried when his wife failed to show up for the bridge unveiling ceremony.

"Hon, let's go." The lean construction foreman called out to his wife as he climbed the stairway to the second floor of his house. His hands accidentally brushed against the wooden rail. He immediately pulled back as icy water coated his fingers.

The simple construction worker chalked it up as a strange weather effect. "Hon?" Sato called out again but quickened his steps up the stairwell. His voice showed a slight elevation in urgency, he instinctively perceived dangers that his conscious mind could not fathom.

When Sato reached the top of the stairwell, the sight that greeted him first frightened him then it just made her curious. His wife frozen in a block of ice, her eyes told the story of horror that was the last moments of her life.

"I guess you wouldn't be leaving me for Saburo after all." Sato walked up to the frozen statue of his wife. With one finger, he tipped the upright ice block over. The frozen statue shattered on contact with the floorboard and left behind large chunks of frost bitten flesh. "Yeah, I knew all about you cheating behind my back."

A small frown crossed Sato's face as he stared at the mess on the floor. "I guess it'll be easy to clean up, but that assassin was getting his pay docked for leaving me with this," he said aloud with little fear that someone might overhear his gloating. Everyone would be out in the celebration by now. "I told him to take his time with it, but he could've left her in a less conspicuous place. I guess I get what I pay for though. Top class assassins probably don't hang around in bars." It took the lazy bastard long enough though, Sato was afraid the entire business was a scam. After he made a down payment, he hadn't heard from the assassin for over a month.

Suddenly an arc of blue energy caught Sato's eye from the remains of his late wife.

All he had time for was to turn and cover his face before a blast of cold energy washed over him. Unable to blink Sato fell to the floor and watched his own frozen arm shatter off and slide away from him.

* * *

Team 7 waved goodbye to the Land of Waves as they stepped onto the bridge that they fought so hard to protect. 

Naruto shouted the loudest. "You should come see me in a few years. I will definitely be Hokage by then."

"Ha, I'll be sure to look you up. Maybe by then we can share a drink the next time."

With a final farewell, Team 7 left Tazuna and the Land of Waves. The team had made it halfway across the bridge to the mainland when they heard the first screams.

"Was that Sato?" Tazuna looked to direction of the scream and realized it came from the same general direction as the house he stayed in for the past two weeks. The same house where Sato and his wife lived.

A light mist shrouded the village. For those that touched the mist, the first thing they felt was a slight chill nothing painful and even a bit refreshing during this time of summer. As the mist grew thicker and visibility diminished, the villagers began to panic. The longer they stayed in the mist the lower the temperature dropped. A scream in the distance set off the rest of the village as every man, women and child suddenly lost the ability to reason.

"It's Gato, he's returned to take revenge on us!" Someone foolishly blurted out.

Hysteria spread throughout everyone in an earshot of that man and soon everyone believed the ghost of Gato was after them all. Women and children went up in arms with fright and their quivering drove the last vestiges of logic out of everyone. They suddenly felt trapped and quickly looked to escape their fate. They ran toward their only way off the island, the bridge that would lead them to safety. They ran through the village, bumping into each together and objects. In their haste, the villagers stampeded through the streets, trampling their fallen neighbors. They ran and despite the adrenaline, a cold as cruel as winter nipped at their limps.

* * *

The panic-stricken villagers ran nearly blind toward the general direction of the bridge. In truth, most of them just followed the ones up ahead. Fear and panic had turned everyone in herd animals. Most of them couldn't see which direction they were headed or where they were in the village. People that lived here most of their lives couldn't recognize their surroundings.

Soon, the villagers arrived at a crossroad. Mist covered the road ahead while the exact center of the intersection retained relatively clear visibility. The first man that arrived on the scene was a fisherman who led the charge from the center of the village. He stopped at the middle of the intersection and looked around heedlessly, panic-stricken and dreadfully afraid, at that moment, every house and every building appeared the same to him.

"Which way do we go?" Others soon stopped at that same spot as many of them were just following those up ahead and those in front just followed the fisherman.

Just a few blocks away from safety, the entire group of villagers came to a grinding halt.

"I don't know. Everything looks the same to me."

"It's this way," yelled one man. "Follow me."

"Wait a minute…" the fisherman grabbed the nearest bystander before they had a chance to follow that man. "How do we know you're not working for _him_? This man could be leading us deeper into the mist."

"Yeah… he's right," said someone in the group. "How do we know Gato's ghost isn't possessed your body?"

"Look, you're all just being ridiculous. I know which way is to the bridge. I recognize this place. I pass it on my way to work every day." The man lost his patience and ran into the fog. Many followed that man into mist.

"Fine, follow him for all I care. I'm going this way," with that, the one group of villagers split into two.

Being mere sheep, the remaining villagers at the intersection just stood still while they wondered which way to go.

As the mist grew thicker, an almost unnatural dread fell over them. With the temperature dropping to unnatural levels, it took only the scream of one elderly woman seeing her neighbor fall and shatter to set off a stampede of panicky villagers. In a desperate attempt to escape the fog, most of the townsfolk tore off in a mad dash after the first person to panic. They ran into the fog never knowing the individual they followed had blindly chosen a direction.

As luck would have it, the first group had stumbled into the docks where the fog was clearer here than anywhere else.

"We're saved," shouted one villager at the sight of the many roll boats docked to the pier.

"Everyone, get on the boats."

It was as if someone knew what the villagers were doing and didn't want them to leave. Just as the first boat filled up to the brim, the water around the boats froze into a solid sheet of ice.

"Quick, it's freezing over!" A man beat on the ice with the paddle, trying to free the boat with brute force. As even more people made their way to the boats, many of the boats cut anchor before the ice got to them. However, for every boat that got free, at least one stayed behind, trapped by the ice. The men ferociously pounded the ice beneath them with the paddles. Some villagers were desperate enough to use their fists where they had nothing else.

The ice continued to grow across the ocean surface and even those that made it to sea were not safe for they were laden with passengers and could not outrun the fog. They did not get far before the fog froze the surface of the water, constricting in on the small wooden crafts.

"Help!" Back at the docks, someone shouted. When they looked that way, they heard a loud crack of wood splintering. The passengers on that boat scrambled to get off their sinking ship but they didn't stand a chance. Before the eyes of everyone, the passengers plunged into the rapidly freezing water below. They were visible for only a second as they struggled before the ice froze over them and left behind their still limbs protruding from the surface. The faces of frozen anguish stared back at them.

Then they heard another crack, another boat splintered into pieces. The passengers quickly got off their boat but when they stepped on the icy and frozen surface, the ice reached up and consumed them. Then another crack as one by one the villagers met their fates with screams of terror and hopelessness.

* * *

Meanwhile, the other group of the villagers made a dash for the bridge; however, the fog was gaining on them too fast. The mob threw the elderly and children aside, or trampled them as the fell to the rapidly thickening mist.

The stragglers succumbed first, mostly women and the elderly who could not keep up with the healthy. Some just tripped from the various things people further ahead abandoned in their path. The result was the same, those weak of body had already felt the cold slow their movements. They fell and as they struggled to stand, the bone chilling winter became a deep piercing pain. They looked back on themselves only to see their limps turn blue and frost laden. Those up ahead looked back and saw the stragglers scream as ice slowly encased the bodies of those that fell behind.

"Wind Brid!" Just as the villagers lost hope, the voice of a young girl sounded in this distance. Then, like winds from the gods, three powerful hails cleared a path for the second group.

"Ms. Amelia!" They cried out to their savior.

"Quickly, this way," Amelia commanded with all her royal presence. She had already rounded the remaining survivors and only came across this group by accident. The villagers quickly followed Amelia's directions as the young girl waved them to follow the path she cleared.

Amelia's eyes lingered on the fallen. Saddened that she could do nothing for them. She tore herself away just as the fog returned mere moments after her spell cleared the area. This time, in the impenetrable mist, several inhuman forms appeared. Amelia saw the bat like creatures of shadow, an amalgamation of man and bat, and her eyes flashed with recognition.

* * *

"Wha-what's going on?" Naruto looked back at the most horrible screams he had heard. One minute the screams of a dozen men would echo in the eerily quiet village then returned to silence in the next moment. They came in waves, shouts then screams and finally silence only to repeat at the onset of another cycle.

Naruto saw Tazuna outrun the fog but the mist seemed to have mind of its own as it pursuit the bridge builder across the bridge. The faster they ran, the faster the fog spread. Behind Tazuna other villagers, including Tsumani, ran for their lives but one by one they fell and their screams shook Team Seven with their horror.

"Run!" Tazuna shouted, though Naruto couldn't tell if Tazuna directed his cries at him. The blond just stood there for a second, his body trembled though he didn't know. The first wave of chilled air quickly rushed past Team7 as they stared in horror at the massacre behind them. As the sound of slaughter grew louder, the thickening fog masked the details of the carnage. Reducing the slaughter to a dreamlike trance, the mist left most of the details to the imagination of the genins. And what horrors these hazy images unleashed made even the seasoned Kakashi shiver. They saw less and less until only the sounds of despair and carnage remained.

Suddenly, Naruto ran off toward the dense mist but Kakashi grabbed his collar and literally dragged him off his feet.

"Let… go… I have to save them!" Naruto struggled with Kakashi's grip on his neck. The jonin had him in an iron grip.

Naruto didn't give up; he attempted to form his trademark seal for the kage bunshin. However, he halted when he realized that his fingers felt stiff. A light sheen of ice had coated his now blue tinged hands, preventing him from correctly finishing the seal. He struggled and he thumped awkwardly to get his hands into position but they refused to respond.

"Everyone run!" Kakashi shouted to his team with an uncharacteristic show of panic.

Sasuke and Sakura needed little prodding to break their gaze from the horrors that were occurring behind them. Their ninja training and large amounts of adrenaline fought to overcome the cold numbness that was rapidly settling into their legs. Suddenly, Sasuke grabbed Sakura by the arm and dragged her running.

"Sasuke, I'm afraid," the kunoichi instinctively ran alongside the Uchiha.

Sasuke said nothing, he ran and he did not look back.

"LET GO!" Naruto protested in Kakashi's grip. He saw Tazuna finally falling to the mist, the old man's hands still holding that of his daughter's. Their eyes met one last time just before ice covered the bridge builder entirely. They screamed no longer.

Naruto bit down on Kakashi's arms, desperate to save the first man that recognized him. But the jonin kept running and kept his hold on Naruto unyielding. Tears rolled down Naruto's cheeks as Kakashi carried him away. Naruto's tears froze on the way to the ground

Shadows emerged from the fog, huge figures, half-man and half-bat, seven in all. Behind them, maniac laughter broke the silence.

* * *

To be continued... 

Many thanks to Yojimbo for giving me the ideas that made this last part much more suspenseful.

Next up: Darkness befalls our heroes

Remember to review!


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